


Breathe

by StellaBGibson



Series: Breathe [1]
Category: The Fall (TV 2013), The X-Files
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, mention of PTSD, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:27:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 70,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28538079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaBGibson/pseuds/StellaBGibson
Summary: Stella has a panic attack and Scully comes to her rescue
Relationships: Stella Gibson/Dana Scully
Series: Breathe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194410
Comments: 209
Kudos: 277





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stel_gibs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stel_gibs/gifts).



> This is my first real attempt at writing these two so any feedback is welcome! This started off just a small idea and grew from there so I hope it's alright
> 
> TW for talk/description of Stella’s attack throughout though mostly in early chapters

Stella sighed as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. It was a clear, quiet night, something she was grateful for as she listened to the soft crunch of frost beneath her feet. It was late. Later than she would be out walking on a regular day but ever since Belfast it seemed she had forgotten what exactly a ‘regular day’ was.

She hadn’t realised she was crying until a silent sob ripped from her chest, bringing with it a blinding pain in her ribs as she sucked in a breath. The cold air shocked her already aching chest and she was unprepared for the panic that gripped her almost instantly as she tried in vain to catch her breath.

The tears intensified as her chest tightened and Stella’s eyes darted wildly for something she could lean on in an attempt to ground herself. With one hand clutching her ribs she made it to a nearby bench, leaning heavily on it with her free hand, still taking shallow, useless breaths.

“Excuse me.”

Stella almost jumped out of her skin at the gentle voice. She had been so overwhelmed by her panic at the pain in her chest that she hadn’t heard the other woman approach.

“My name’s Dana. I’m a doctor.” The woman’s voice was kind and it was clear that she was careful not to get too close.

Stella barely acknowledged the doctor’s presence despite the fact that she could feel the woman’s eyes scanning every inch of her. She had no doubt noticed the dark bruising that still covered half of her face, probably the stitches in her eyebrow too. It was likely obvious to anyone that her chest was also causing her pain.

“I’m gonna come a little closer, okay? I just want to help you.”

Stella managed a nod, still doubled over and leaning on the bench as she felt a tender hand come to rest on her back.

“What’s your name?”

“Stella.”

“I know it’s damn hard and you’re having trouble breathing but I need you to stand just a little straighter for me, Stella. Can you manage?” Dana’s voice wasn’t patronising, simply full of concern with a hint of authority and Stella found herself trying to comply.

“Are you asthmatic?”

Stella shook her head as she straightened her back, still clutching her ribs with her right hand, the left gripping the back of the frosty bench.

“You’re absolutely freezing, you need to warm up.” Dana’s hand fell from her back and Stella watched the other woman remove her gloves. “Why don’t you let go of the bench? It’s covered in ice. Here, put the gloves on and take my jacket.”

Stella didn’t have the energy to argue as the doctor helped the blonde’s trembling hands into the gloves and draped a warm running jacket over her shoulders.

“Try to follow my breathing. It’ll help yours even out.” Dana instructed, exaggerating her own breathing as she kept her eyes on Stella.

Stella’s face scrunched against the pain as she attempted to take a deep breath. “I can’t.” She gasped, bringing Dana’s attention to the hand once again cradling her ribs.

“Your ribs?” Dana questioned. Stella nodded in affirmation. “Broken or bruised?”

“Very broken.”

“Put your hands in your pockets. This might hurt a little to begin with, but I promise it’ll help.” Dana told her.

Stella let out a small noise of pain when she felt Dana’s small hands come to rest with one on her back and one right over her broken ribs. She listened to Dana’s instruction to attempt to follow her breathing again as the doctor applied a small amount of pressure to her chest.

Both Stella and Dana were filled with relief when slowly, Stella’s breathing found a steady rhythm in time with Dana’s. The blonde’s tears had dried on her cheeks and despite the cold, her face was burning.

Dana looked her over, taking in the blonde’s lack of appropriate clothing. “You need to get warm before the cold shocks your chest again. Did you drive?”

Stella shook her head, cursing herself when she realised exactly where she was.

“Where do you live?”

“About an hour away on foot.” Stella answered. “Less if I could walk at a normal pace.”

“I live just around the corner.” Dana replied and Stella didn’t have the strength to fight when the redhead began to guide her towards the street.

They walked in silence until they reached a row of terraced houses and Dana pulled a set of keys from her pocket, leading the blonde through the front door of her house.

Stella shivered when the heat of the house sent a shock of realisation through her at just how cold she had been. She wasn’t surprised when she thought about it. She wasn’t exactly dressed for frost and ice, wearing a hoodie and a thin softshell jacket paired with her gym leggings and a pair of trainers.

Dana on the other hand had been well prepared for the weather. The redhead wore a pair of thick leggings with equally thick socks beneath her running shoes. On top she wore a thin base layer covered with a long-sleeved top and a now unzipped hoodie, not to mention the jacket and gloves she had donated to her in the park.

Stella took in her surroundings as Dana bustled around somewhere in the other room. It was a cosy house and at some point since they had arrived, Dana had turned on the electric fireplace, emitting a gentle heat into the already toasty room.

“Here. Take a seat.” Dana appeared in front of her and pressed a hot cup of tea into her hands, nodding at the couch.

Stella did as she was told, carefully shrugging off the jacket and pulling the gloves off one by one being careful not to spill the tea. She stared at the cup, embarrassed at her apparent inability to care for herself at the moment. It was obvious that Dana’s eyes were on her again and she found herself hoping that it was Doctor Dana that was scrutinising her, not the side of her that was just a normal person.

“Have you taken any painkillers recently?”

Stella held back a sigh of relief at the question and shook her head. “They make my head feel fuzzy. I don’t like it. Plus I’ve had no food.”

Dana sighed and Stella suppressed a laugh at the obvious disapproving doctor look that crossed the redhead’s face. “Drink the tea and try to relax. Holding yourself so tense will cause you more pain in the long run.”

With that, Dana was gone. Back into the kitchen Stella assumed as she sipped the tea.

Not more than ten minutes later, Dana appeared with two steaming bowls of pasta. “It’s nothing fancy, just plain pasta with some cheese sauce.”

Stella took the bowl with a small thank you, only mildly surprised when Dana planted herself at the other end of the couch instead of one of the armchairs.

“What happened out in the park?” Dana asked carefully as she watched Stella pick at her food. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.”

Stella shook her head. “I’m not sure. I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go for a walk. I didn’t even realise I was crying until I tried to take a gasp of breath. It hurt my ribs, the cold shocked my lungs and then I couldn’t breathe. I think I panicked because I was unable to take a productive breath in. Next thing I knew you were talking to me.”

“I don’t usually make a habit of forcing my help upon people like that, but I was worried that you were about to pass out.” Dana told her. “I was worried something had happened when I saw the bruises. But then I noticed the stitches.”

Stella took a bite of pasta, waiting for the question that never came. She was relieved when Dana didn’t ask what had happened to her. It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, especially not with a woman she had just met.

Instead, Dana took her empty bowl and stood to make for the kitchen. “Have you got any allergies to pain medication? Any history of negative side effects? Any other current prescriptions?”

“No. To all of the above. Except for the pain medication I got from the hospital.”

“Can you remember what it’s called?”

“Tramadol, though I’m not sure what dosage.”

Dana nodded and disappeared from the room. When she returned a few moments later she carried a glass of water and a small unopened packet of painkillers. “Take two. Once they kick in I can take you home. If you don’t feel great, you can sleep here if there’s nobody to keep an eye on you at home.”

Stella gave her a small smile before she swallowed the pills and took another sip of the water. It was unlike her to accept this level of help from anyone. Usually she would have shrugged Dana off once she was able to breathe and walked herself home. She wasn’t sure what was different about tonight but she was so drained that she found she didn’t want to fight Dana’s assistance.

They sat quietly until Stella noticed she was beginning to feel woozy. She looked up at Dana and noticed the redhead looking at her watch. “Timing’s about right. Do you want me to take you home or do you want to stay here?”

“I’ll be okay at home.” Stella replied as she stood up, running a hand over her face. It wouldn’t be long before she started to feel more disconnected from herself and she wanted to be in bed before that happened. “Thank you for everything.”

Dana gave her a smile as she led the blonde to the car. “Don’t mention it, really. I’m just glad I was able to help you.”

Stella truly had no idea how long the drive had been. She looked up when she felt the car slow and saw that they were outside her house. She didn’t even remember giving Dana her address. “Thank you again.”

“Take this.” Dana told her, holding out a piece of paper. “Call me if you need anything. At all. I’d rather you called than struggled on your own. Don’t worry about what time it is, either.”

Stella nodded and climbed out of the car, fumbling with her housekeys. Dana waited until the blonde’s long, straight ponytail was hidden behind the closed door before she drove away.

Alone once more, Stella fumbled her way upstairs to her bedroom where she changed into a pair of warm pyjamas and climbed under the heavy duvet, pulling it up to her neck as she felt the full impact of the medicine take effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve never broken my ribs so idk if you’ve be given tramadol for them. But having been given a number of heavy painkillers in the past, tramadol was A- the only one that actually helped and B- the only one that did make me feel a bit weird when it kicked in


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter I think.
> 
> I originally didn't write this with the intention of posting so it wasn't broken down into chapters. I've just split it up where it seems to make sense so the chapters will probably vary quite a bit in length

Dana sighed as she sat on the couch with a cup of coffee, scrolling through her phone while the news played on TV. Her head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice on the news.

The image on TV showed Stella, the woman she had found in the park just the night before. She was leading a press conference though the news reporter had resumed talking after the important part had been shown.

“That was Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police, talking at a press conference in Belfast some weeks ago. DSI Gibson was the Senior Investigating Officer in charge of Operation Musicman, the investigation into the Belfast Strangler who has since been named as Paul Spector. It has been reported that in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Mr Spector was found dead in his room at his psychiatric facility. Before his death, Mr Spector is believed to have attacked his doctor and killed another in-patient at the facility after starting a riot.

“These new attacks come less than twenty-four hours after he launched a violent attack on Detective Superintendent Gibson during an interview. Mr Spector is believed to have also injured PSNI officer DS Tom Anderson when he attempted to stop the attack. Mr Spector was then removed from the Down Serious Crime Suite where two ambulances were called and both injured officers were taken to Belfast General Hospital. While the details of their injuries are not known, we can report that both officers were admitted overnight and both are yet to return to active duty. DSI Gibson returned to London on Wednesday morning despite that the investigation into her handling of the case is yet to be closed…”

Dana stared at the TV in shock. It was no wonder Stella had been having trouble breathing. If the news report was to be believed, she had been attacked on Monday night. They had met on Wednesday night.

The news reported droned on about the ways in which the case could have been handled better and Dana felt her blood boil. She’d like to see the newscaster attempt to lead such a high profile, complex investigation in an unfamiliar city and not make a few mistakes. She sighed as she realised it was likely Stella had seen the same news report.

The Stella Gibson on the TV was well put together. Her hair styled in soft curls that fell around her shoulders, her minimal makeup giving her a healthy glow. She wore a pale pink silk blouse with a tight pencil skirt and a high pair of heels. It was in stark contrast to the state of the woman she had come across in the park. The Stella she’d met was pale, trembling and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, likely straight in its natural form.

She felt a pang of sympathy for the blonde. She didn’t strike her as the type of person who would enjoy having her name, injuries, and apparent failures broadcast to the entire nation.

~X~

Stella felt as though all eyes were on her as she walked slowly through the park. It was cold but the sun was shining. She was already going stir crazy not being able to work or swim so she’d decided on another walk, this time properly wrapped up against the chilly weather. She knew she was likely paranoid; some may recognise her from the news but it was London and nobody paid much attention to their surroundings. She’d done her best at covering her aching face with makeup in an attempt to conceal the worst of the bruising, but the stitches were still glaringly obvious.

“Stella?”

Stella turned to see the redheaded doctor from the night before approaching her. “Hi.”

“Hi. How are you doing this morning?”

“Better than last night that’s for definite.” Stella smiled softly. “Thank you again for all of your help. I’ll make sure to get your jacket back to you.”

Dana had insisted that Stella wear her jacket for the car ride home, too. “Don’t worry. I’m not in a rush to get it back. Did the painkillers help?”

Stella nodded. “I went straight to bed when I got home. They wiped me out until about ten AM this morning. Just in time for the eleven o’clock news.”

Dana gave her a sad smile. “The press will do anything they can to make us look bad. The higher-ups in law enforcement aren’t much better. They’ll throw anyone under the bus if it saves their own reputation.”

Stella raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

Dana shrugged. “I’m former FBI.”

“I didn’t expect that.” Stella replied with a smile. “How about I repay you for your kindness with a coffee and if you feel like it you can tell me all about the FBI.”

Dana nodded, silently wondering where the ball of nerves in her stomach had come from. She followed Stella towards the park exit, walking in a comfortable silence most of the way.

Once they were seated with a coffee each, they stayed quiet for a few moments, each relishing the heat of their beverages. In the end, it was Stella who spoke first, her eyes taking in every inch of Dana.

“So, you’re American?”

Dana nodded. She knew it wasn’t really a question. “Yeah, I moved here a few years ago.”

“I didn’t notice the accent last night.” Stella replied. She’d barely noticed much about the redhead last night other than her sheer kindness. “What brought on the move?”

Dana sighed and stared into her cup, prompting Stella to give her an out. She looked back up at the blonde and shook her head. “It’s okay. Like I said before, I used to work for the FBI. I went through med school but never practiced until I left the Bureau. The years before I left the States were… a lot… so when I decided I wanted a change I thought I may as well do it properly. Have a real midlife crisis.”

Stella pondered Dana’s words. She knew there was more she wasn’t saying, but there was likely a good reason for that and she wasn’t about to push. “How are you liking London?”

Dana smiled. “I love it. It’s so different from everything back home. It really was a fresh start. I mean I still don’t really know anyone, but with the hours I work I don’t tend to have much time for a social life anyway.”

Stella chuckled in understanding. “I know the feeling. I don’t spend a lot of time outside of work. We don’t have to talk about the FBI if you don’t want to. I understand working in law enforcement isn’t all sunshine and playing the hero.”

“No, it’s not.” Dana laughed. “My partner and I went through a hell of a lot… the stories I could tell you, you’d probably have me sectioned. But we had some good times. I think I look back on it sometimes with rose tinted glasses. He used to call me up and tell me to meet him at the airport and we’d end up anywhere, usually in the middle of some unheard-of town in a dodgy motel with adjoining rooms. We’d get crappy takeout and warm beer and the next week we’d be somewhere different. I miss the camaraderie, I guess. I don’t miss the situations we’d end up in.”

“You two were close?”

Dana nodded as her eyes clouded over with something Stella couldn’t identify. “Yeah, we were. Like I said, we went through a lot. We literally went to the ends of the earth to save each other. We had each other’s backs when nobody else cared. In the end it wasn’t enough.”

“What happened?” Stella’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper, treading carefully.

Dana took a deep breath and looked into her cup. “So much and yet nothing at all. We were both abducted on various occasions. I had cancer and nearly died; he did die. I buried him, and then he wasn’t dead after all. Then he went on the run. I went on the run with him. We lost everything and gained so much at the same time. But then we lost our jobs at the FBI. It turned everything on its head. I fell back on my medical experience and became a brain surgeon but he just got lost. We had this house out in the middle of nowhere. It was great for a while but in the end I had to look out for myself. I couldn’t carry us both.” Dana paused as she looked up at Stella and let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Stella told her sincerely. “It’s good to talk. Even if you never knew you needed to, it helps to get it all out. You can talk to me anytime.”

Dana gave her a small, self-conscious smile. “Thank you. That goes both ways. If you ever need to talk, my door is always open.”

The conversation lulled a little as they finished their coffees. It was Dana who picked it up again as they left the small coffee shop.

“When do you go back to work?”

Stella sighed. “Not for at least a week and a half. I tried to go back the day after I got home and they threatened to physically remove me.” Stella chuckled. “It’s a lot of free time. Something I don’t do well with.”

Dana nodded in understanding. “I have work still, but if there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

Stella thanked her and kept walking back towards the park. She wasn’t sure what it was about the redhead but there was something about her that already trusted her implicitly. It wasn’t like her, usually if she had seen Dana again she would have turned and run the opposite way, but something was drawing her to the woman. She found herself wanting nothing more than to spend as much time as possible with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Stella frowned in confusion when her phone rang. It wasn’t unusual to receive phone calls when it was nearly midnight, but it was her private phone ringing, not her work one. And she was under strict instructions to keep as far away from work as possible for at least two weeks.

She felt a wave of concern wash over when she saw Dana’s caller ID. They had properly exchanged numbers before they parted ways the day before but this was the first time either of them had reached out.

“Hello?”

“Stella, hey.” Dana sounded almost relieved but before Stella could say anything she heard a sharp gasp. “Oh my god, I didn’t realise the time I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

Stella shook her head despite knowing Dana couldn’t see her. “No, no. I’m still awake. Are you okay?”

She heard Dana let out a shaky breath before her reply came. “It’s just been a really bad day, to be honest.” She paused and her voice was a little uncertain when she spoke again. “I’m sorry for calling so late. I just wanted to hear your voice. You make me feel safe, I’m not sure why.”

Stella smiled at the admission. “It’s okay. Never apologise. I’m actually just making dinner. Why don’t you come over and we can talk?”

“Thank you.” Dana’s voice was tearful and it made Stella’s heart clench, much to her surprise.

Before Stella could respond, Dana had hung up the phone. She had no idea how long the redhead would be so she turned the heat down on the pasta she had just poured into the pan and moved to browse her fridge.

It was barely five minutes later when the knock at the door came and Stella realised that Dana must have already been close when she called. She opened the door and her entire being softened when she saw Dana.

The redhead was standing on her steps, her arms wrapped around herself despite the warm jacket she wore, her eyes red from crying. Stella reached out and wrapped an arm around Dana’s shoulders, pulling her into a comforting embrace as the door swung closed.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, with Dana now crying into Stella’s chest, her head tucked under the blonde’s chin. When Dana pulled back, she let out a long breath and wiped her eyes before she looked up, meeting Stella’s concerned blues.

“I’m okay.”

Stella shook her head as she used her thumbs to gently wipe fresh tears from Dana’s eyes. “It’s okay if you’re not.”

Dana blew out another long breath and Stella took the opportunity to take the focus away from the day’s events, leading Dana to the kitchen.

“I’m afraid I’m still on a soft diet so I don’t have much in the way of exciting food. Essentially your options are pasta, mashed potatoes, or soup, maybe some veg if there’s any in the freezer. I’ve only done a very basic shop since I’ve been home.” Stella admitted. “I have some wine if you want it, too.”

Stella turned and found Dana’s eyes drifting to the heavy bruising that currently covered most of the left side of her face. She stayed still as Dana moved a step closer and brought one hand to cup her face with a feather light touch.

“Your jaw?” Dana asked, her doctor’s eyes taking in the patterns of the bruising and the stitches at her eyebrow.

Stella shook her head. “Something else, a fractured zy-something.”

“A zygomatic fracture?” Dana supplied. “May I?”

Stella nodded and let her eyes fall closed as Dana’s gentle hands moved under her swollen cheekbone. The doctor let out a tiny sigh as her hands cupped Stella’s face. She had an overwhelming urge to plant a soft kiss over the injured area, but she really didn’t want to get herself kicked out of Stella’s house.

“It seems like you were lucky. A lot of these injuries end in surgery with some kind of reconstruction.” Dana said instead, pushing away all thoughts of kissing the blonde.

Stella brought a hand to her ribs as she remembered the attack. The memory was fuzzy at best. “From what I can remember, he only managed to get a few punches in on my face. I fell when Anderson tried to stop him, by the time he turned his attention back to me, I was on the ground and he took great pleasure in trying to destroy my ribs instead.”

Dana looked over the blonde, surprised at how protective she felt over her. She wanted nothing more than to take her in her arms and fight anyone who tried to cause her harm.

“So dinner?” Stella said suddenly, breaking the solemn mood that had fallen over them. “I was going to make pasta. I know you just had that the other night, though. Feel free to raid the freezer but I’m not sure what’s in there.”

Dana shook her head. “Pasta is more than okay. Can I help with anything?”

“No, it’s okay. Help yourself to anything you want, the drinks are over there and there are glasses in that cupboard. Dinner won’t be long but if you want to shower I can keep it warm until you’re done?”

Dana had to admit that a shower sounded heavenly but right now the smell of the cooking food was making her stomach rumble. “If the offer still stands after dinner then I may take you up on it. For now, this is perfect, thank you.”

“You never have to thank me.” Stella told her gently as she led the way to the living room carrying both bowls.

Dana watched as Stella eased herself onto the couch, careful not to jostle her ribs. She patted the seat next to her and Dana smiled as she moved to take a bowl from the coffee table.

They ate in relative silence, the TV providing a background noise of an old sitcom rerun.

~X~

Dana wasn’t sure exactly what had come over her when she suggested that Stella join her in the shower, but whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t only affecting her as Stella had agreed after only a moment of hesitation.

Stella took a deep breath as she watched Dana move under the hot water. She had warned her about the extent of the bruising covering her hips, abdomen, and torso. Spector had been relentless and his foot had made contact with every inch it could reach. But still there was something else making her hesitate and she suddenly realised that she didn’t want Dana to assume that she was looking for sex.

She pushed the thoughts to the side as quickly as they had come to mind and removed her clothes. When she stepped into the large shower, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep her jaw from dropping at the sight of Dana.

She was truly stunning inside and out, and the look in her eyes made Stella want nothing more than to push her against the wall and kiss her with all the passion she could muster, showing her what she wasn’t yet able to put into words.

Dana said nothing but pulled Stella under the spray of hot water, her soft hands mindful of the blonde’s injuries. When she had seen Stella take off her top, she’d had to bite back a gasp of shock at the extent of the bruising. Of course, she’d seen much worse at work, but she hadn’t been prepared to see the dark purple marks against Stella’s pale skin.

Her hand came to land on the side of Stella’s injured ribs, her thumb stroking the bruised skin so lightly it send shivers up Stella’s spine. Stella’s hands landed on Dana’s arms just above the elbow and Dana had to suppress a soft sigh when the hands started travelling upwards.

Before she knew it, Stella’s hands were cupping her face and they’d made eye contact. Her hold on Stella was gentle but unwavering as Stella moved in slowly, giving her every chance to put a stop to what was about to happen.

But she didn’t, instead her left hand fell from Stella’s hand to the small of her back, pulling the blonde tighter against her as their lips met.

When they parted, Stella kept her eyes closed, her forehead resting against Dana’s. She was almost afraid to open her eyes, afraid that Dana was about to flee the house. But when a moment later she felt Dana’s thumb stroking her ribs again, she finally dared a look at the other woman.

“You okay?”

It was ironic, Stella thought. The whole reason Dana had even ended up at her house was because she wasn’t okay. She didn’t say that though, instead she gave a small smile. “I am. Are you?”

Dana nodded. “I wanted to do that for a while.”

Stella laughed quietly. They’d only met two days ago, but she couldn’t help feeling the same way. “Me too.”

Dana smiled in return and reached for the shampoo. “Thank you for making me feel better.”

The rest of the shower was silent and once they were in Stella’s bedroom changing into clean clothes, Dana couldn’t help but notice the tension the blonde held herself with, her right hand subconsciously coming to protect her ribs.

“Hey,” Dana’s voice made Stella look up. “where are your painkillers?”

Stella was about to argue before she realised it was pointless. Instead she answered the question and thanked Dana when she returned with the medication and a glass of water. She bit her lip as she looked at the small yellow and green pills in her hand.

“Are you able to stay tonight?” Without giving Dana a chance to respond she continued. “I really hate the way this stuff makes me feel. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s like I’m detached from myself, like I’m aware of what I’m doing but it’s all fuzzy. If you can’t stay I’m only gonna take one tablet.”

Dana was shocked at the vulnerability in Stella’s voice. It carried almost the same tone as the first night they had met and she found herself nodding. “I have work at eight, so I’ll have to leave to get changed, but I can stay. It’s pretty known for tramadol to do that to you. Not that it makes it any less unpleasant, but it’s normal.”

Stella said nothing but swallowed both tablets with a mouthful of water and a grimace before she climbed into bed, nodding for Dana to join her. “You know, if there’s nothing else you need from home, you could always just borrow some of my clothes to wear to work. You don’t strike me as a person who enjoys early mornings.”

Dana let out a laugh at the comment. Stella was right, since she’d moved to London she’d begun to take advantage of staying in bed until the very last moment before she had to get up.

The laughter helped dissipate the air of uncertainty and as Stella felt the medication take effect, she lazily pulled Dana into her, falling asleep to the feeling of Dana playing with her hair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A work visit & a heart to heart

Stella blinked as she woke. She was unsurprised but disappointed to find the other side of her bed cold and empty. Her eyes roamed the room and she saw the pyjamas she’d loaned Dana folded neatly on the chair, a folded piece of paper on top of them.

With a tired groan she heaved herself out of bed, feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time despite the heavy dose of painkillers the night before. She crossed the room and picked up the note, allowing herself to burrow back under the warm duvet before she read it.

_Stella,_

_Thank you for everything last night. I hope you don’t mind that I did borrow your clothes. I tried to find the least expensive looking items. I’ll call you later._

_Love, Dana_

Stella felt herself smiling at the note and slipped it into her bedside drawer. The thought of talking to Dana again soon made her smile grow even larger as she remembered the kiss they had shared in the shower.

~X~

By the time Dana’s call came, Stella was up and dressed, despite having nowhere to go. When she answered, she was dismayed to hear the sad tone in the doctor’s voice.

“I’m not even on my break yet, I just wanted to talk to you.” Dana admitted, and Stella could hear the bustle of the hospital in the background.

A look at the clock told her it was just after lunchtime and she was sure that it wouldn’t be too much longer Dana was able to take a break. “When’s your lunch?”

Dana sighed. “Around two. Or at least it should be.”

“How would you feel about me bringing you something?” Stella asked. “If you’d rather I didn’t, it’s okay.”

“No.” Dana replied softly. “That would be really nice actually.”

“Is there anything you don’t like? Anything you fancy?”

Dana thought for a moment before listing off a few different options that made her stomach rumble. When the call ended, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of seeing the blonde again.

~X~

“Hi, can I help you?” A kind nurse smiled softly. “If you need a doctor I can have someone show you to A&E.”

Stella could feel the nurse’s concerned eyes trailing over her bruises as she stood at the main reception desk of the hospital. “No, I’m okay. It’s an old injury. I was just wondering which floor Dr Dana Scully works on?”

“Her office is on the fifth floor. If she’s not around one of the nurses there will be able to contact her for you.” The nurse answered after a few moments of checking her computer.

Stella thanked the nurse and moved towards the elevators, trying to calm the small buzz of nervous energy she felt at the prospect of seeing Dana again. Ever since their call she had tried to reason with herself that it had been less than twenty-four hours since she’d fallen asleep wrapped in Dana’s arms, but it made no difference.

When she stepped off the elevator, she saw no signage and decided to head for the busy nurse’s station for guidance. Before she could lean on the desk, however, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Stella turned with a smile to see Dana smiling back at her, albeit tiredly. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Dana grinned as she moved in and pressed a soft kiss to Stella’s injured cheek. “You’re a lifesaver. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

Stella let out a small laugh. “Says the actual lifesaver. Come on. Let’s eat before you pass out.”

Dana led the way to her office, ignoring the chatter that resumed as soon as they had started walking. She had no doubt she’d be the focus of the hospital’s gossip mill for at least the rest of the day – or until something better came along – but at this moment she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Are you okay?” Stella asked softly as she handed Dana the takeout carton.

Dana nodded. “It’s been another rough day. Most of my patients are extremely ill and it just feels like the past couple of days it’s just been bad news after death after bad news. I’d really, really like it if just for once I could meet with a patient’s family and have something good to tell them.”

Stella nodded in understanding. While it was nowhere near the same thing, she could sympathise. She’d taken countless family members into the morgue to identify their loved one, she’d sat across from mothers and explained that there were no new leads to follow. She’d held rape victims’ hands as she explained to them that the man who hurt them was likely not going to be charged for his crimes. Most recently, she’d sat across the table from Tom Stagg and given him the unsettling news that they were no closer to finding Rose, but that the body they had found wasn’t his wife. It never got any easier and she could see that it was the same for Dana.

In lieu of words, she put a reassuring hand on Dana’s leg and gave it a gentle squeeze. Dana looked at her with a small smile, showing her gratitude as she ate.

There wasn’t much in the way of conversation but neither of them minded. They were content just to be in one another’s presence, each taking comfort from the other.

When they reached the elevators on the way out, Stella took Dana’s wrist in her hand and placed a kiss on her cheek that lingered a little too long to be friendly. Dana smiled at the blonde who towered over her in her heels.

“I finish at eight. Why don’t you come to my place tonight? If you’d rather not drive, I can pick you up. I’ll make something that isn’t pasta for dinner and we can see what’s on TV?”

Stella found herself nodding before she could think about it. Once alone in the elevator she began dissecting her own actions. It was highly unlike her to want to spend this amount of time with anyone. Granted her usual methods of human contact hadn’t gone so well for her in Belfast, but there was something different about Dana Scully that made her willing to wait it out. She found her own lack of impatience amazing. The fact that all she wanted was to be with the redhead was enough to tell her that this was something special. What exactly it was, she didn’t know yet. But she could only hope that Dana felt the same way.

~X~

Dana’s smile morphed into a frown of worry when Stella opened the door to let her in. All thoughts of driving her to her flat and cooking vanished immediately. Wordlessly, the blonde stepped aside, closing the door once Dana was over the threshold.

Once in the living room Dana turned to carefully take in Stella’s appearance. Her face was pale and her eyes red, tear stains on both of her cheeks. She let her eyes slowly trail over the rest of Stella’s body, looking for any signs of what may be wrong. When they landed on her wrist, she was only mildly surprised to see the harsh red marks surrounding a thin black hair tie. Before she could say anything, Stella curled herself into a corner of the couch.

“I had another panic attack.” The blonde’s voice was quiet. “I nearly called you but then I realised you would already be on your way here.”

Dana smiled softly and sat close to the blonde, leaving her a bubble of personal space between them. “What can I do?”

Stella shook her head. “Nothing. I’m okay now. It wasn’t as bad as the other night.”

A short silence fell over them as they both tried to figure out what to say next. Stella was battling to stop herself from saying what she really wanted, but before she could come up with an alternative, Dana’s soft voice filled the room.

“Do you know what caused it? It’s okay if you don’t.”

Stella took as deep a breath as she could manage and closed her eyes, one hand coming to rub her temple. “They want me to go back to Belfast.”

Dana frowned. “What? Why? You’re barely fit to travel.”

“I fucked up a couple of times.” Stella sighed. “They opened an inquest into my handling of the case and the events surrounding Spector being shot while cuffed to an officer. They need to speak with me about that. And there’s an ongoing investigation into one of my superior officers surrounding an incident that occurred. They need to go over my statement again, no doubt to pick holes in it.” She paused for a moment, “I would play the _‘I’m injured’_ card but I flew home less than forty-eight hours after the attack. I was on the plane twenty-two hours after I was released from hospital.”

Dana processed the information. Surely those meetings could be held virtually. There was no need to drag Stella all the way back to Belfast, all that would do was exacerbate her trauma.

“Will you come with me?” Stella kicked herself as soon as the words left her mouth. Dana’s life did not revolve around her. She was a doctor with a busy schedule who could not and should not drop everything just because she was feeling unsure. Stella knew that just because she would drop everything at a moment’s notice for Dana, it didn’t mean that the redhead felt the same way. “Sorry, I-”

“I’ll come with you.” Dana told her, placing a reassuring hand on Stella’s leg. “Just let me know when. I can make it work.”

“Thank you.”

Dana said nothing but pulled the blonde against her, both women relishing their closeness.

Stella had a contented smile on her face as they eventually moved upstairs to go to bed. There was something so intimate between them, something she hadn’t felt in a long time, and yet they’d only kissed once, three times if they stretched to include the kisses on the cheek at the hospital. The hand holding, reassuring touches, the comforting hugs, the way they’d tenderly washed one another’s hair and bodies in the shower, and their ability to be open and honest with each other after less than a week all pointed to something Stella wasn’t sure she was ready to admit to herself. 

Before she realised what she was doing, Stella was sitting cross-legged beside Dana on the bed, clasping one of the redhead’s hands in her own.

“I’m not sure where I’m going with this, and it could get really sappy, so if it makes you uncomfortable, please tell me.”

Dana shook her head and gave Stella’s hands a squeeze. “Go on.”

“You’re different. It’s not like me to open up this much to anyone, ever, never mind that it’s been less than a week since we met. The normal me, that night in the park, would have pushed you away and run for the hills as soon as I caught my breath. She never would have let you take care of her much less taken you for coffee the next day. This may be a little too much too soon, especially considering I don’t know where you stand on this. But, you already mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your care and support more than I can put into words, and that terrifies me. Whatever we’re doing now, is more intimate than anything I’ve done in a long time, and I’ve only kissed you once. It makes everything better when I know I’ll be seeing you soon, whether that’s me bringing food to the hospital or you stopping by on your way home, and I want to provide you with the same comfort and support that you’ve given me.”

“Stella…” Dana breathed softly.

“If you’d let me, I’d love to take you for dinner, or coffee, even breakfast. I don’t care, we could do anything you wanted, so long as it’s considered a date.”

Stella felt sick as soon as the words were spoken. She had no idea what she was doing. Stella Gibson did not _date_ people. She did not wine and dine her lovers, she certainly did not cook for them and cuddle in bed without sex. She didn’t even cuddle in bed after sex. And yet here they were. She’d bared her heart to Dana and now she was praying that she hadn’t terrified the other woman into running. When she finally felt brave enough to open her eyes, Dana was beaming back at her.

“Of course.” Dana nodded, her voice barely a whisper. She moved to sit up on her knees and carefully cupped Stella’s face, bringing her in for a hot kiss that she hoped conveyed her feelings.

“This isn’t like me either. But with you it’s so easy. Being with you makes me feel like there’s no other place I’d rather be. I never thought I’d feel like that again, and it seems ridiculous considering we only met on Wednesday, but I don’t care.” Dana told her. “So of course I’ll let you take me on a date. But only on the condition that you let me take you on one after.”

Stella couldn’t suppress the smile. Not only had Dana not run for the hills, but she had agreed to not one but two dates. She bit her tongue to keep from telling Dana she loved her. While she might not mean it in _that_ sense just yet, she wasn’t about to risk scaring her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Knowing people's thoughts genuinely does help me write, I'm needy that way haha. There's handful more chapters written and it's still a work in progress so let me know your thoughts or if there's anything specific anyone wants me to have a go at :) thanks again


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely did not proofread and edit this during my online class today.  
> If there are mistakes it is because I was also half trying to pay attention to my online class.  
> I'm a bad student, forgive me.

Stella felt an irrational knot of nerves in the pit of her stomach as she sat in the kitchen waiting for Dana. They’d agreed to a late breakfast date and she had been ready for five minutes. She’d spent the best part of the morning wondering what to wear. It wasn’t like she had to impress Dana, she’d already been seen at her worst on the very first night they met, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t try.

So, for the first time since they’d met Stella had found herself standing in front of her mirror styling her hair into the curls she’d been neglecting ever since her release from the hospital. She’d attempted to cover her bruised face with makeup but her pale skin paired with the dark purple marks made it almost impossible.

It had taken her longer than she cared to admit to pick an outfit. In the end she’d opted for a chunky jumper tucked into a pair of jeans with a belt. She’d debated over her footwear but had reasoned that it was too cold for her usual shoes, instead she’d found a pair of simple high heeled combat boots she rarely wore. To fight off the cold she’d chosen one of her long black overcoats, one she’d splurged on and seldom wore to work.

Stella clutched her phone at the sound of heels on the stairs and found herself speechless when Dana appeared in the doorway. She was stunning.

She wore her jeans from the night before, paired with her own heeled ankle boots. On top she donned one of Stella’s black silk blouses. Her hair still held the loose curl she’d put in the day before and she’d gratefully borrowed Stella’s makeup.

“You look good in my clothes.” Stella smiled.

Dana returned the smile. It was the same line Stella had given her when she had appeared at her door hours after they’d shared lunch in her office.

“ _You_ look good in your clothes.” Dana smirked, allowing her eyes to trail over the blonde.

Stella bit her lip as she moved to pass Dana, leaning in closer than was necessary to get through the door. “I look good out of them, too.”

“Oh, I know.” Dana laughed as she followed Stella to the car.

She wasn’t entirely sure where they were going other than it was in central London. They’d mutually decided that they were not in the mood for the hassle and the length of a commute on public transport. Stella had promptly offered to drive, claiming she’d just park at work and they could go from there.

~X~

Stella was aware that she should be paying attention to what Dana was telling her, but she still hadn’t quite managed to wrap her head around the fact that they were actually on a date. They’d spent a lazy Sunday morning in bed before they’d shared a shower and now they were on their first official date. It had only been five days but it felt like they’d known each other a lifetime. It was only when their waiter had cleared the table and she heard Dana mention Belfast that she snapped back to reality.

“Are you okay?” Dana frowned.

Stella nodded and reached across the table to take Dana’s hand. “I’m fine, love.”

 _Love_? Where did that come from? Stella knew exactly where it had come from but she wasn’t ready to face that just yet. It wasn’t until she felt Dana give her hand a squeeze that she looked up and found Dana smiling at her.

“It’s okay.”

Stella gave her a small smile in return. “The flights are booked for tomorrow morning. There’s still plenty of time to cancel if you don’t want to come.”

“I’m coming with you, Stella.” Dana told her, her tone soft but with no room for argument. “But while we’re on the topic, what exactly should I expect when we get there?”

Stella sighed, unsure of where to start. “News cameras, likely. Specifically one Ned Callan. He’s a journalist who has apparently never heard of boundaries. If they know I’m coming back to Belfast it’ll attract attention, especially since it will have been a week to the day since shit really hit the fan. Other than that I’m not sure. I have a meeting tomorrow to get caught up with the aftermath of the case, another meeting on Tuesday regarding my conduct and then I believe on Wednesday they want to go over the details of the investigation into Burns.”

Dana frowned but didn’t push, sensing Stella didn’t want to elaborate.

“You’re welcome to come in with me, or you can explore the city and I can call you when I’m done. Think about it.”

Dana didn’t need to think about it. If the mere thought of returning to Belfast had been enough to send Stella into a panic attack there was no way she was going to abandon the blonde so she could go sightseeing. She’d be there by Stella’s side, ready to provide whatever support she needed.

Stella drew a hesitant breath and averted her eyes for a moment. She looked like she was about to speak before she nodded to the door. “Let’s walk.”

Dana didn’t argue but took Stella’s hand in hers as they exited into the cold February air. They walked in silence for a few moments before Stella slowed their pace, looking over the Thames as she finally spoke her mind.

“I know today was only our first date, and it’s been five days, so I don’t want to pressure you. I’m only asking because I know it’ll come up.” Stella began, her tone uncertain. “When they do inevitably ask, how would you rather I introduce you?”

Dana took a deep breath. She knew how she wanted Stella to introduce her, just like she knew how she wanted to introduce Stella to _her_ colleagues. But the last thing she wanted was to make the blonde uncomfortable.

“How would you like to introduce _me_?”

“Well we are technically dating now.” Stella told her, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Dana heard what she wasn’t saying and decided to save her. “We could always have that second date tonight? Come to my place. It’s a little closer to the airport. I’ll cook something and we can leave from there in the morning. Then with two dates under our belt, and having properly seen where and how I live, when people ask who I am, you can tell them I’m your girlfriend. If you want to, that is.”

Stella smiled and stopped them. She brushed a strand of hair from Dana’s face and nodded. “That sounds lovely.” She looked away for a moment. “Before dinner, there’s a few things I need to tell you about Belfast. But I want us to enjoy the rest of the afternoon first.”

Dana allowed Stella to lead her further into the city centre, their fingers intertwined and buried deep in the blonde’s pocket.

~X~

Stella sighed in relief, grateful to finally be able to rid herself of her heels as she followed Dana inside. After lugging her smallest suitcase in behind her, she took a moment to actually look around. It was smaller than her place, but that meant nothing to her. Most affordable homes in London were smaller than her house and she knew that if she’d had to buy or rent, she never would have been able to afford her own home. Besides, she knew that it wasn’t the place that made a home, but the occupants.

There was something about the décor that was so entirely Dana that she couldn’t quite put it into words. It was a rented house so the walls were plain white, but Dana’s taste was visible through the artwork she’d hung and the soft furnishings she’d chosen.

“It’s not much.” Dana shrugged when she noticed Stella’s eyes roaming her home.

Stella shook her head. “It’s wonderful. It feels very you.”

Dana only smiled and led Stella upstairs so she could pack. They’d agree they would talk once the packing was out of the way. It would be less stressful if they knew everything was ready to go in the morning. As it was, Stella had already arranged a taxi to the airport.

Stella sat on the bed watching Dana stare at her clothes. She was stuck with what to take. She knew it would be cold, so warm clothes were a given, but other than that she really had no idea. She wasn’t working, so there was no need for her to be professional. But if she was going to be spending time in the police station with Stella then she would definitely feel the need to dress smartly.

They had also agreed to a bit of sightseeing if they had time, definitely a meal out somewhere, so she would need casual clothes for the former and at least one nice outfit for the latter. Dana sighed. She envied how easy it had been for Stella to pack. She’d simply thrown a selection of work clothes into the case and then added a pair of dark jeans.

She could feel Stella’s eyes on her but before she could acknowledge the gaze, the blonde was by her side. Stella eyed the wardrobe for a few moments before she reached in and pulled out a pair of Dana’s black trousers she wore to work. She held them up for Dana’s approval and at the nod, handed them to the redhead to hold up against her.

Dana stayed silent as Stella browsed her selection of blouses and smart-casual tops. She pulled out a few hangers and studied each option before returning a few to the clothing rail.

She held a pale blue button down up to the trousers and then placed it on the bed before repeating the action, choosing two soft jumpers, one off-white and one a deep crimson. “These will be okay if you want to come in with me. If you’d rather wear a skirt, I’ve packed plenty.”

Dana thought for a moment, looking over the selection of clothing now lying on the bed. “What should I wear for flying?”

Stella thought. “We’ll likely go straight from the airport to the station, so I’d say probably a pair of dark jeans…” Stella trailed off and looked back into the wardrobe before extracting another maroon item, this time a loose blouse. “This? And I’d recommend heels, they’re all rather tall. Unless you’d rather we drop you off at the hotel first? In which case you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in."

“I told you before, unless you ask me to leave, I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

Stella smiled her thanks and left Dana to pick out her own clothes for the time spent not at the police station. She moved until she was cross-legged on the bed, watching the redhead pack the case before gathering the extras that would be added in the morning. Her eyes never left Dana as she moved to the bedside drawer and rummaged through it, looking for underwear.

Stella raised an eyebrow when a small pile of lace fell to the floor, unnoticed by its owner. She leaned over and hooked a finger under one of the straps, untangling it. She grinned as she held the lace one-piece up in front of her by the straps.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist that you bring this with you.”

Dana turned and blushed a furious pink when she saw the item in dangling from Stella’s fingers. She whipped it out of the blonde’s grasp and stuffed it back into the drawer. “I don’t even think I’ve worn that since I bought it.”

“Even more reason to bring it then.” Stella told her with a devilish smirk. “Because I believe we promised each other at least one date while we’re away.”

Dana rolled her eyes playfully and threw the lingerie in the direction of the suitcase. Truthfully, now that the idea was planted, she couldn’t wait to wear it for Stella. But she’d never tell the blonde that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know your thoughts because comments literally do encourage me to write and sometimes even influence parts I hadn't thought of writing :)


	6. Chapter 6

With the packing complete and Dana’s case next to Stella’s by the front door, a heavier atmosphere had fallen over them. Now, they were both curled up with a hot mug and a blanket each in the living room, Dana on the couch and Stella on the adjacent armchair.

Dana watched silently as Stella took a deep breath. She truly had no idea what it was the blonde had to tell her, but she wasn’t about to force the matter.

“The first thing isn’t much of an issue, at least not for me. When I first got to Belfast, I slept with another officer, it was just the once, didn’t mean anything, but he was shot dead the next day. It had nothing to do with my case, but when the press found out he’d been at my hotel, you can imagine the field day they had with it…” Stella paused for a moment before deciding that total honesty was the best policy. “I suppose one way of looking at my sex life is that I use it like a crutch, almost. Not all the time, sometimes it’s about just having some kind of physical intimacy. I couldn’t tell you the last time I was in a proper relationship, but I still crave the feeling of being with another person.” Stella’s eyes stayed on her mug, almost afraid to see the judgement she assumed would be written all over Dana’s face. “When I slept with him, I assumed I would be in Belfast for a week or two. Then around halfway through my time there, I met a colleague for drinks, I took a phone call and when I returned she was being harassed by a rather persistent solicitor, so I kissed her in the hopes that he would leave. With a little more encouragement, he did. I almost took her back to my hotel room…

“A little while later, I slept with one of the other officers on the task force. The next morning he accused me of using him in place of Spector.” Stella shook her head, still unable to believe Tom Anderson’s line of thought. “The next day when we found Rose, both he and Spector were shot by one of Spector’s adversaries. Spector took two to the gut, Anderson one in the arm. I could see that Spector’s injuries were more severe, and I thought death was the easy way out, so I went to him and started shouting for help. Later, Anderson accused me of being infatuated with Spector. The thought alone disgusts me.”

Dana took in the information, allowing herself time to process it. In the end, she was left with one question. “Is that what I am?” Her voice was small and unsure and she hated it. “A way to satisfy a craving for intimacy?”

Stella’s head snapped up and her eyes immediately landed on Dana’s. She shook her head and moved to the couch, bringing her blanket and tea with her. She took one of Dana’s hands in her own and gave it a squeeze. “God, no. Not even close. You’re amazing, truly. I can’t put into words how much you’ve come to mean to me in such a short space of time. Please believe that.”

Dana nodded at the sincerity in Stella’s face. “I do.”

Stella relaxed a little. “Trust when I say that if the satisfaction was all I wanted; I would have gotten it. And there would be no way you’d even have my phone number; you certainly wouldn’t be coming to Belfast with me.”

Dana smirked at the response and then remembered that Stella had more to tell her. “What was the other thing you had to tell me?”

“There’s a couple actually, now that I think of it.” Stella sighed and her eyes fell to her cup again. “The night that I almost took my colleague to my hotel room, Spector managed to sneak in somehow while I was downstairs. He was in my room for around forty-five minutes. He snuck out some time after I returned.”

She paused to gather her thoughts, grateful that Dana didn’t try to push her. “The incident I mentioned, involving one of my superior officers, it also involves me. He’s being investigated for sexually assaulting me.

“His name is Jim Burns. Assistant Chief Constable Jim Burns. I’ve known him for years and worked with him on a number of occasions. There was once a time when I outranked him. I made the mistake many, many years ago, of sleeping with him when we worked together. He admitted while I was in Belfast that he would have left his wife and children for me. I assured him that would have been a mistake. He was drunk and I suggested that he phone his sponsor. In the end, he started begging me to sleep with him. He grabbed me, at first by my wrists and then by the face. He kept trying to pull me so he could kiss me. I told him no, told him to stop a number of times but he didn’t listen. He just kept begging me. I managed to hit him and it shocked him enough to let go of me.” Stella let out a shaky breath. It wasn’t the first time she’d told someone what had happened, but it was the first time since her emotional wellbeing had been rocked by Spector’s attack. “I wasn’t going to report him until the case was closed…”

“But?” Dana prompted ever so softly.

“But…” Stella breathed. “Then I discovered that Spector had been in my room. I changed into more comfortable clothing and called the crime scene unit. My deputy appeared at one point, too. My sleeve slipped up and he saw the bruises on my wrist. He didn’t say anything to begin with, but when the CCTV footage from the hotel showed Jim entering my room and then leaving some time later with a swollen nose, he put two and two together. He didn’t push me but I realised it would be easier to report it right away than spend half of the investigation justifying why I waited.”

Dana let out a long breath, a little surprised to feel tears stinging her eyes. “Thank you for telling me.”

Stella finally looked up at the redhead and gave a small smile. “I wanted you to hear it from me. And I trust you.”

They sat in silence for a few more moments, their fingers still intertwined before Stella cleared her throat. “I believe there was talk of a dinner date to lighten the mood?”

Dana couldn’t help but laugh at the way Stella’s eyebrows wiggled when they made eye contact. She stood and rounded the couch, leaning over the blonde to take the empty mug and press a kiss to her hair before she disappeared into the kitchen.

It wasn’t long before the delicious smells coming from the kitchen drew Stella to her feet. She padded into the kitchen and found Dana standing over the cooker stirring something in a pot. She hesitated for a moment before she moved closer and wrapped her arms around Dana’s waist, letting her chin rest on her shoulder.

“That smells amazing.”

Dana barely registered the sound of Stella’s voice. Her heart was racing at the feeling of the blonde holding her and she bit her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot as she cooked. “It’s egg noodle and shredded chicken stir fry. Nothing fancy but it is soft, and a change from all the pasta you’ve been eating recently.”

Stella smiled, her heart swelling at the thought of Dana taking her injuries into consideration. Of course she did, she was a doctor, but Stella wasn’t used to having people looking out for her.

“You’re too good to me.”

Dana only hummed in response and reached to turn off the gas. She stayed for a moment and let her hand fall to cover Stella’s. It was brief but it filled her with a warmth she hadn’t expected and she found herself missing the contact as soon as Stella stepped away.

She plated up the food and led Stella to the small table. She smiled when she saw Stella’s eyes taking in the two place settings with a small candle burning in the centre of the table. Never would she have pegged Stella as the romantic type, but something told her the blonde would appreciate the little gestures like this.

“Oh my god.” Stella almost moaned when after the first taste of the food. “It’s so good!”

Dana laughed. “You’re only saying that because you’ve been living on pasta and mashed potatoes for almost a week.”

Stella gave her a playful shrug in return, a small smirk on her face as they ate.

When they were done, Stella stood and took their empty plates to the counter before Dana had a chance to object. With the table cleared, Stella looked at the clock and was shocked to see how late it was already.

“Let’s go to bed.”

She paused for a moment. Their evening had been so incredibly domestic and it threw her off. She wasn’t used to it but she found herself craving more. So before Dana could pick up on her thoughts, she nodded and held her hand out to the redhead, pulling her towards the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically pure smut so if that ain't your thing, there's nothing else in this chapter for you :)  
> I just realised how slow this story is actually moving so I hope I can make up for it with fast updates? Once they get to/past Belfast things will start to move more I think
> 
> I should mention that this is for @stel_gibs because she was the one that convinced me to write this instead of dancing around it :D

Dana gasped into the kiss as she felt Stella’s hands against the skin of her ribs, pushing her shirt up as they went. The blonde took the opportunity to whip the black blouse over Dana’s head before she leaned in to capture her lips once more.

Stella grinned as she pushed Dana against the door, eliciting a surprised gasp. She paused, her hands lingering just below the lace of Dana’s bra as she pulled back just barely to meet her eyes.

“Stella…” Dana’s voice was breathy and her chest heaved as her eyes searched Stella’s. “We can’t.”

Stella quirked an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Your ribs.” Dana told her, her hands coming to cover the blonde’s bruised torso.

Dana’s concerns were met with a simple shrug. “I’ll be fine.” Stella murmured against her ear. “I promise.”

Before she could protest further, the blonde pulled her closer and pressed a hot kiss to her jaw. Her lips began a slow trail down Dana’s neck, pausing when they reached her collarbone. She looked up, waiting for Dana to meet her eyes.

“If you want me to stop, I will.”

Dana shook her head and took Stella’s hand in hers, giving her a small tug towards the bed. Stella turned them around once more and her hands fell to Dana’s jeans, easily undoing them before she pushed them down.

With her jeans gone, Stella gave Dana a gentle nudge back towards the bed and smiled when the redhead collapsed beneath her. She watched as Dana leaned back on her elbows and scooted towards the centre of the large bed.

Stella leaned forward and placed a ghost of a kiss on Dana’s lips before she moved on, kissing a path over her jawline, lingering on her neck before continuing past her collar bone to her breasts. Wordlessly, she unhooked the black bra and tossed it over her shoulder before she lowered her mouth back to Dana’s breasts.

She sucked one nipple into her mouth, giving it a gentle suck and did she same to the other one before she moved on again.

Dana let out a shuddering breath as she watched Stella shuffle down the bed. Blue eyes met as the blonde carefully spread Dana’s legs, placing one over her shoulder.

Stella’s eyes flicked up to Dana’s face as she removed her underwear, depositing it on the floor. The redhead’s breathing quickened with the anticipation of what was coming next.

Placing one hand on Dana’s thigh, and the other hand hooking around the leg slung over her shoulder, Stella took a moment to look up at Dana, making sure she was alright with what was happening before she continued.

“What are you waiting for?” Dana breathed, bringing a smile to Stella’s lips.

“If you’re gonna be like that I might just take my time.”

Stella began kissing a slow trail along Dana’s thigh, barely brushing her core as she moved higher, just enough to torture the woman above her. She gave in eventually, gently licking Dana’s clit, eliciting a soft gasp from her.

She gave another soft lick before she moved in closer, sucking on her clit again, making Dana moan. She smiled as she got to work, sucking, licking and flicking Dana as the redhead got more and more worked up.

Dana was panting hard, trying to thrust her hips against Stella, only for the blonde to hold her down and continue her ministrations. She sucked hard on her clit while two fingers pumped into her, gaining speed.

Stella couldn’t help the feeling of accomplishment when she heard Dana’s loud moans of pleasure. She curled her fingers, drawing soft yelp from Dana, watching the redhead’s toes curl as she tensed and arched off of the bed.

Dana was speechless, unable to form a coherent thought as Stella slowed her actions, gently bringing her down from her high. She placed a gentle kiss to the inside of each thigh before she moved up the bed, allowing Dana to roll into her as she tried to catch her breath.

“Oh my god.” Dana whispered breathlessly as she lay in Stella’s embrace.

Stella laughed softly and cradled her head against her chest. It was only a few moments later that Dana lifted her head to press a kiss to the blonde’s lips. One hand came to rest gently against her injured ribs and Stella wasn’t surprised at the concern in Dana’s eyes when she looked up again.

“You okay?”

Stella nodded, hearing what Dana wasn’t asking. “Just take it slow. I’ll even take my painkillers after.”

Dana gave a small laugh at the absurdity of the blonde’s reassurance. Instead of saying anything, she simply pushed Stella’s jumper up and over her head before removing her bra. She brought her hands up to cup her breasts and gave them a tentative squeeze, earning herself a soft moan from Stella.

She pressed Stella back against the pillows before she moved to the foot of the bed and eased the dark jeans down her legs. The jeans now off, Dana bit her lip at the sight before her.

Stella was lying on the bed in nothing but a black lace thong, watching her through hooded eyes. Without another word, Dana moved over her and rid her of her underwear. Her hands rested on Stella’s thighs as she leaned down to press feather light kisses on the blonde’s stomach, her lips travelling down to her thighs.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the scars and they had yet to talk about them, but it was the first time she’d been so close. Dana felt Stella tense momentarily when her lips landed on the raised skin but she didn’t stop. Instead she continued to kiss her way to Stella’s glistening core and she could almost feel the relief wash over the blonde at the lack of reaction.

Stella let out a soft sigh when Dana slowly licked from her opening to her clit. One hand fell to entangle in red hair, gripping it lightly as Dana’s tongue massaged her.

The sound of Stella’s soft moans and sighs were music to Dana’s ears and despite the slow pace, she was sure it wouldn’t take long for her to nudge the blonde over the edge. When she felt Stella’s nails begin to dig into her scalp, she took one hand away from her thigh and coated a finger in the blonde’s wetness before pushing into her.

Stella whimpered at the sensation and bit her lip when Dana added another finger, curling them to meet her g-spot. She let out a small cry when Dana’s teeth grazed her clit, her whole body beginning to tremble and tense.

Dana withdrew her fingers slowly, continuing to lick Stella clean, carefully avoiding her most sensitive area. When she was done, she brought her fingers to her mouth and licked them clean, just as Stella reached down and pulled her up the bed.

Before Dana had the chance to clean her face, Stella’s lips were on hers in a searing kiss. When they parted, Dana kept her forehead pressed against Stella’s before she remembered something and rolled away to reach into her nightstand.

Stella raised a playful eyebrow as Dana closed the drawer and rolled back to her. “Painkillers!”

Both of them burst into laughter and Dana dragged herself out of bed to retrieve a glass of water for the blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good, bad, or ugly PLEASE let me know because it has been a very, very long time since I wrote anything like this 😂


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a shorter one but the next is longer so I hope that will make up for it!  
> Thank you to everyone for their amazing comments, I'm not a confident writer so comments from people saying they love this and I write them well truly do mean so much to me :D

Stella groaned as she felt the mattress dip beside her. She tucked her face closer into the pillow as she felt Dana’s hand come to brush the hair from her face.

“Come on. I already let you sleep through two of your alarms.” Dana told her firmly, her tone soft. “I brought some happy-Stella rocket-fuel.”

Stella chuckled but didn’t move until Dana held the coffee just out of reach. She rolled over and sat up slowly. It was barely three thirty in the morning and they had stayed up later than they planned. The lack of sleep combined with the tramadol still in her system left Stella feeling dazed as she gratefully took the hot mug from Dana.

“Thank you.”

Dana let her hand fall to Stella’s leg and gave it a soft squeeze in response. She watched Stella nurse the coffee, when the mug was near empty, the blonde rubbed a hand over her face before running it through her hair.

“You okay?” Dana asked, the doctor in her looking for any signs that Stella wasn’t just tired.

Stella nodded. “I still feel fuzzy from the painkillers.”

“You can sleep at the airport once we’ve checked in.” Dana assured her, she was glad that Stella had decided to shower and style her hair in between dinner and packing the night before. It made this morning a lot easier, especially if Stella wasn’t feeling great.

Stella let her forehead fall to Dana’s shoulder and she sighed when she felt a hand in her hair massaging her scalp.

“Stel, you can’t fall asleep here. The taxi will be here soon, you need to get dressed.”

The blonde groaned in response but heaved herself to her feet. Her body felt heavy as she moved to the wardrobe where her clothes were hanging on the handle. The last thing she wanted to do was tuck herself into a tight skirt and high heels, but in the end she had decided that the hassle of changing in between an early flight and a day full of meetings was worth the discomfort.

Finally dressed and with a faint covering of makeup, Stella turned to find Dana leaning against the doorframe with a smile on her face.

“I’ve never seen you dressed for work before. You look good.”

Stella smiled softly at her. “So do you.”

The sound of the taxi pulling up outside pulled them from their tired stupor and Dana held out a hand to accompany Stella down the stairs. The blonde was more than capable, she was steady enough on her feet, even in the heels, but Dana found herself fighting an urge to look after her.

~X~

Dana took a deep breath as she woke. There was a weight on her right shoulder and a loud rustling to her left. It wasn’t until she opened her eyes that the confusion cleared and she remembered where she was. On a flight to Belfast with Stella sound asleep on her shoulder and a large man fighting with a crisp packet to her left.

Truthfully, the only thing she hated more than flying was being stuck in the middle seat but she had quickly gotten over that when she’d seen their neighbour’s inability to respect personal space and keep his elbows to himself. The last thing Stella needed was to spend ninety minutes having her injured ribs abused even more.

It had taken all of five minutes for Stella to fall asleep after they had been through security, and she was sure the blonde had been out cold before the plane had even reached cruising altitude. She was glad, it had been an early start and with their upcoming day of defending Stella’s conduct during the case, more sleep would help.

She felt Stella shift as the pilot made the announcement that they would be starting their descent momentarily. Stella’s sleepy face was adorable, but she decided to wait until they were alone before she shared that information with the blonde.

“Sorry for using you as a pillow.” Stella said quietly as she sat up straighter in her chair, stretching her aching muscles.

“You can use me as your pillow whenever you want.” Dana replied with a soft smile. “Feeling better?”

Stella thought for a moment. “Still a little woozy but definitely better than before. My limbs feel like they’re attached to me again.”

Dana chuckled and took Stella’s hand in her own. “Is this okay?”

Stella returned the soft smile. “Of course it is.”

~X~

With only a small carry-on case and a handbag each, their arrival in Belfast was easy and Stella found herself guiding Dana towards the exit. She knew the PSNI had sent a car to pick them up and she couldn’t help but hope it was someone she knew. Part of her thought it may be easier if she didn’t know the officers sent to collect them, but she pushed that thinking aside. It would only lead to even more gossip.

Dana could feel the tension emanating from Stella’s body. As soon as they’d passed the arrivals gate the blonde had pulled on a persona that intimidated even her. There was an air of protectiveness in the way Stella’s hand lingered on her lower back and she couldn’t say she disliked it.

She felt rather than saw relief flood through Stella at the sight of the officers waiting in the foyer. A look at her face revealed a hint of a familiar smile directed at the redheaded officer.

“Welcome back to Belfast, Ma’am.”

“It’s good to see you, Dani.” Stella allowed the officer to pull her into a friendly hug before she pulled back and let her hand return to Dana’s waist. “Dana this is PC Dani Ferrington, she was my right hand for most of the investigation.” Stella paused as she greeted them.

Dani looked at Stella knowingly and the blonde nodded. “Dani, this is my girlfriend, Dana Scully.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Dani smiled brightly as she took Stella’s case without asking and began to lead them to the exit.

Once on their way to the station, Dani glanced briefly away from the road to look at her former boss. “I hope you don’t mind, Ma’am, Tom Anderson had volunteered to accompany some other PC to give you a lift. I thought you might rather that he didn’t.”

“You thought correctly.” Stella nodded. “I thought he still hadn’t been cleared for duty? He had pins put in his arm. If I’m not fit for work surely he isn’t.”

Dani shrugged. “I doubt he is, Ma’am. I saw him briefly the other day. His arm will be in a cast for at least another three weeks. If there isn’t too much lasting damage he’ll have physio to work through, not to mention his firearm requalification.”

Stella sighed and prayed that she wouldn’t be forced to spend too much time with the young DS. “What else should I know? Oh, and you can stop calling me ma'am. I'm not your boss anymore.”

“Eastwood is out for blood when it comes to Burns. He was already under investigation for his part in the Monroe shitshow and Eastwood was running that case too. I don’t see any outcome in which Burns will still have a role within the PSNI.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Dana questioned, looking between Dani and Stella.

Both women sighed. “It may not be that easy.” Stella replied. “He has a lot of friends here and it’s much more of a boys club here than in London.”

“You should know, Ma’am- Stella… Most of the task force have been asked to give statements. Regarding both your conduct and your interactions with Burns. Professor Reed-Smith has been contacted for a statement, too. We’re all in agreement that you did your best under impossible circumstances.”

“Isn’t it a conflict of interest that Eastwood is leading the case?” Stella asked. “Given that not only was he my deputy but he withheld information. The scratch marks on Olson’s back went unaccounted for in the autopsy report because Eastwood left it out of _his_ report to Tanya that I had slept with him the night before he was killed.”

“That’s a question you’ll have to ask him, but I’m sure if it was going to cause any problems they would have arisen by now.”

Stella sighed and rubbed her temples. They weren’t even at the station yet and she already had a headache brewing.

“One last thing.” Dani said apologetically. “The doctor who treated Spector and Rose Stagg, as well as Tom Anderson and yourself, has also been asked to provide a statement. Oh, and Ned Callan has been released without charge. He has friends everywhere though.”

Stella rolled her eyes at the thought of the irritating and relentless journalist. “Like I said the first time we met. He can fuck off.”


	9. Chapter 9

Stella faltered for a moment after she climbed out of the car. It wasn’t that she was nervous about coming face to face with the task force again. It had only been a week after all. It was simply that she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to sit through hours of having her leadership and decisions questioned only to likely be thrown under the bus as the outsider. Despite the fact that she had arrived in Belfast at their invitation, it was much easier for them to place all of the blame on her than it was for them to admit that it was their own Assistant Chief Constable who had been hitting the brakes throughout the entire investigation.

A warmth filled her, along with a sense of peace as she felt Dana’s hand come to rest on her back, gently giving her a nudge towards the entrance. She missed the contact as soon as it fell away. Her head turned to look at Dana just over her shoulder and she let out a relieved sigh when she found the redhead barely inches behind her, holding eye contact with her deep blue eyes.

With a slow breath in she finally moved forwards, making her way into the building with Dana hardly a step behind her. She ignored the stares from lingering officer she didn’t know as they were signed in and issued lanyards. She sighed when she saw that her ID badge hung from hers rather than a visitor’s pass.

Dana followed her wordlessly to the elevators as they rode in silence, leaving Dani who had insisted on finding them all some decent coffee. She didn’t have to look at Stella to feel the nervous energy rolling off of her in waves. All she wanted to do was make the coming few days easier but the closer they got to the Operation Musicman offices, the less confident she was that she’d be able to help Stella at all.

“Hey.” Stella stopped and turned as Dana’s hand caught her wrist just beyond the entrance to the office space. “However this goes, just know that I want to do whatever I can to be there for you.”

“Thank you.” Stella smiled softly. “Are you ready? I’m not sure how they’ll react.”

Dana nodded and followed Stella through the door. She was surprised to see that the space was relatively empty of people. There were three officers seated at desks, chatting instead of working, but aside from them, only a couple of others lingered.

The chatter stopped at the sound of Stella’s heels and the three officers gave her familiar smiles as they stood to greet her. Dana bit back an amused smirk as one by one all three of the officers let their eyes fall to her in barely concealed confusion.

Stella smiled tightly at Eastwood, Gail McNally, and Glen Martin, grateful once again for Dana’s hand on her back as she put on a brave face and moved further into the room.

“I’m sorry we had to bring you back so soon, Stella.” Eastwood told her as they neared.

“Don’t worry about it, from what I’ve heard you fought hard to keep me away.” Stella smirked.

“It’s good to see you again, Ma’am.” Gail smiled genuinely.

“Glad to have you back, Ma’am.” Glen added, unsure if it was true given the circumstances.

“Thank you.” Stella told them before she cast a glance at Dana and pulled her forwards until they were shoulder to shoulder. “Dana, meet DCI Matt Eastwood, DC Gail McNally, and DC Glen Martin. Guys, Doctor Dana Scully.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Eastwood smiled with a handshake, looking thoughtfully between the two women once their attention had diverted.

“Did that bastard really do so much damage that you have to travel with a doctor?” Glen exclaimed, a mixture of anger and disgust crossing his face as he eyed the barely concealed bruising on her face.

Stella quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Not quite, Glen. Dana is my girlfriend.”

“Oh. Sorry, Ma’am.”

Stella brushed off the apology kindly as her eyes travelled between McNally and Eastwood, waiting for a reaction from either of them.

“You can be so dense sometimes.” Gail scolded her partner before she turned to Dana with a warm smile. “I’m sorry for my partner, Dr Scully. Welcome to Belfast.”

“Thank you, and please, just call me Dana.” Scully replied, surprising the officers with her accent.

Eastwood looked between them as though he wasn’t sure what to say. It made Stella feel uneasy but she could tell it wasn’t coming from a place of malice.

“You’re American?” Eastwood blurted out eventually. “How’d you come to meet Stella?”

“Well spotted.” Dana only just managed to suppress the urge to be sarcastic. “We met when we were both in the park one night. I live in London.”

“Ah.” Eastwood nodded.

A collective, silent sigh of relief washed over the room when Dani appeared juggling two carboard trays of coffees from a nearby coffee shop. She dished them out and sat down, prompting everyone else to sit too.

Dana was pleasantly surprised when she sat in a desk chair only for Stella to sit on the desk right beside her, her thigh brushing Dana’s arm. They listened as Eastwood ran them through the meetings that had been arranged. Most of them had been moved since Stella had been sent the schedule and while she was glad that it meant they would have Wednesday free from work, it meant an intense Monday afternoon and a hectic if not traumatic Tuesday.

~X~

Stella groaned and rolled her shoulders and neck as she exited the meeting room. It had been long and dull. She’d left Dana with Dani after Tom Anderson had protested her presence. Now, two hours later, she was exhausted.

Dana looked up expectantly at the sound of Stella’s heels approaching and frowned in concern when she saw the grave look on her girlfriend’s face. “How did it go?”

“They found no evidence of actual wrongdoing.” Stella sighed as she perched against the desk Dana was sitting at. “But they took great pleasure in repeatedly pointing out my professional fuck ups and questionable activities in my hotel room. Even went as far as to question me about you.”

Dana laughed. “I’ll bet that gave them whiplash. One week you’re doing as you please and the next it’s ‘bring your girlfriend to work day’.”

Before Stella could reply, there was a harsh knock on the door and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes when she saw Tom Anderson standing in the doorway.

“Can I have a word?”

Dana looked at the man who had interrupted them. She wasn’t sure of his name but considering the cast on his arm she deduced he was likely the DS Stella had told her about. The look on his face screamed jealous teenager as he sulked, waiting for Stella to acknowledge him.

Stella felt her blood boil. She could already tell that this was not going to be a mature or professional conversation. It would be petulant and accusatory. She wasn’t aware of how tense she’d become in that moment until Dana’s hand landed on her upper thigh.

Dana gave her a loving smile when she felt the blonde melt under her touch, her tension disappearing as their eyes met.

Stella felt her heart swell when Dana gave her thigh a gentle squeeze, an action she was sure did not go unnoticed by Tom. His eyes were on her as she heaved herself off of the desk and paused. She cupped Dana’s head in one hand and pressed a quick kiss to her hair.

“I won’t be long.”

Dana bit back a grin as she watched Stella leave. She had to admit that she enjoyed seeing the young man’s jealousy, knowing that she was the one sharing Stella’s bed at night.

Stella folded her arms defensively across her chest as she joined Tom outside the office, ensuring that Dana was still in her eyeline. “What can I do for you?”

Tom scoffed. “Really? No, this is personal, not work. You can’t seriously expect us all to believe that you’re actually in a relationship with her? After everything that happened last time you were here?”

Stella rolled her eyes this time, let out a huff of annoyance, too. “It may surprise you to know that I don’t owe it to anyone to justify what I do in my personal time. _Especially_ when it revolves around my private life. Dana knows about everything that happened during the investigation, if she isn’t bothered by it, I don’t see a reason that you should be.”

“You used me. Just like you used Olson, somehow both of us end up being shot the very next day. I’m not saying that’s your fault but it’s a bit ridiculous. It was bad enough, knowing you used me to interview Katie because I was ‘similar’ to Spector, but you used me personally. While you were in a relationship apparently. Unless you weren’t, in which case, what spell have you got her under that she’ll follow you all the way here? Do you even know her?”

Stella pinched the bridge of her nose and cast a glance at her girlfriend before she looked back at Tom. “You knew, when you came to my hotel room, that it was only going to be one night. I never alluded to anything more than that. As it was, I showed more vulnerability to you, both at work and outside of it, than I usually would to a one night stand. You’ve seen me cry, you saw me naked, you slept in my bed until morning, we had breakfast before Eastwood called, and I drove you to work in the morning. You got more of me than anyone I ever hooked up with did. And for you to insinuate that it’s because you remind me of Spector is repulsive.

“It was because for a while, you made me feel safe. I trusted you. Clearly that was a mistake and it gave you the wrong idea.” Stella took a step away and inhaled slowly. “I will not have you passing judgement on my relationship or insulting my girlfriend. She is a grown woman who chose to accompany me here. You are in your thirties, you’re a grown up. I’d appreciate it if you learned how to act like one, because with this jealousy and the petty accusations you are acting like a child.”

With that Stella turned on her heel and disappeared back to Dana’s side, leaving Anderson seething in the hallway to watch them leave hand in hand.

~X~

Less than an hour after leaving the station they had checked into their hotel room at the Merchant. Stella had been surprised to find out that once again, one of the police forces – she wasn’t sure which – had agreed to foot the bill and put her up for the duration of her stay.

She had been relieved to discover that this room was on the other side of the building to the one she’d occupied on her last stay.

“Well this is certainly nicer than the motels the FBI called accommodation.” Dana said as she wandered the room, her eyes roaming over the décor. “Oh my god!”

Stella looked over her shoulder in an attempt to locate Dana. The redhead was nowhere to be seen but before Stella could move, she heard her voice from the bathroom.

“This bath is huge. We have to use it!”

Stella smiled softly as she moved to join Dana in the bathroom. Without a word she wrapped her arms around Dana’s waist and pulled her in close, resting her chin on her shoulder. She sighed happily when Dana relaxed into her embrace, covering her hands with her own and resting her head against Stella’s.

“Why don’t we go for a bath and then we can order room service? Tomorrow I’ll take you out for dinner?”

Dana hummed in agreement. “Compromise, we go for the bath but you let me take you out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow could be a tough day, I don’t want you to feel like we have to go out after, or like you’re letting me down if you want to stay in.”

Stella was surprised at the wave of emotion that overcame her. Dana’s thoughtfulness was still new to her, and every time it was like a shock to her system. It scared her, almost terrified her, but there was something screaming at her that something that made her feel so loved couldn’t be bad for her. There was still a niggling thought at the back of her mind telling her that every time she let Dana closer, she was opening herself up to more hurt when things would inevitably go wrong, but for now she was managing to ignore it.

She snapped back to reality when Dana lifted her head and turned in her arms to search her eyes, clearly looking for an answer. That was when Stella realised she hadn’t responded to the suggestion. Instead of a vocal answer, she nodded and let her arms fall from Dana’s waist in favour of turning on the taps of the bath.

Dana watched silently, Stella floated around the room locating the various complimentary bath soaps, adding a generous dollop to the hot water beginning to fill the tub. She watched the bubbles form as steam and the lavender scent filled the room.

With the tub full, Stella made her way to Dana and her hands fell to pull the soft blouse from her jeans.

“Stella, we can’t.” Dana told her, meeting her eyes.

“I know.” Stella replied softly.

She did know. There was no chance of her admitting it to Dana but her ribs were in agony and her chest felt tighter than it had all week. She wasn’t sure if it was the sex last night, the awkward naps at the airport and on the plane, or the day of sitting through endless meetings in uncomfortable chairs, but she was aching.

Dana let Stella undress her before she returned the favour, pausing as she unzipped the fitted skirt to place a tender kiss against the blonde’s ribs. She’d seen the way she’d been holding herself, noticed the way Stella’s hand would drift to her ribs before she quickly lowered it in an attempt to not show any weakness in front of her colleagues.

Before Stella could even think of moving towards the tub, Dana had stepped in and lowered herself into the water. She mirrored the blonde’s raised eyebrow as she settled, watching Stella move to join her.

The water was blissful as Stella submerged her tired body. She sighed contentedly when Dana pulled her closer, allowing her to settle back against the redhead’s body. Stella laced their fingers together as their hands came to rest on her stomach and she could feel herself relaxing already.

Dana’s hold on Stella was loving and almost protective. She wanted nothing further than to shield the blonde from the hellish day that tomorrow would bring. There was no doubt in her mind that the PSNI would do nothing to punish Burns for his actions. He had pre-emptively resigned which she supposed was a good thing, but it wasn’t enough. She hadn’t officially met anyone outside of the task force yet but she’d heard her name mentioned enough times by both Stella and her colleagues to know that everyone was now aware of who she was. She’d be allowed to sit in with all of Stella’s upcoming meetings now that she was the victim rather than the accused, but it didn’t ease her mind.

Thinking of Stella as a victim at all left a bitter taste in her mouth, and Stella despised the term, especially when used in reference to herself.

“I can hear you thinking.” Stella’s voice was barely above a whisper as she craned her neck in an attempt to look up at Dana.

Dana opened her mouth to tell her it was nothing and then thought better of it. She knew Stella harboured some of the same insecurities about trust and relationships as she did and the last thing she wanted was to stress her out even more.

“I was thinking about tomorrow.”

Stella sighed. It wasn’t going to be a good day. “I’ll be okay.”

“It’s okay if you’re not.” Dana echoed Stella’s words from a few nights prior. “At the risk of scaring you off, or being a little too full on… I was thinking about how I wish I could protect you from it all. I know you don’t need the protection; you’re a big girl and you’ve proven yourself time and time again throughout your career. But the thought of them inflicting even more trauma on you… it hurts me and I wish I could take some of the load for you.”

Stella was speechless for a moment; she wasn’t sure what she had expected Dana to say but it certainly wasn’t that. She took a deep breath and squeezed the redhead’s hands. “You can. By being here with me, you already are. Just don’t let me push you away. I’m very good at it but it’s never what I really want.”

Dana said nothing but nudged a strand of blonde hair that had fallen from its clip, placing a soft kiss to Stella’s shoulder. She wasn’t surprised when Stella brought one hand out of the water and cupped the back of her neck, bringing their lips together again.

“I know this has all moved very fast, but I want you to know that it terrifies me just how much I care for you. No matter what they may imply about my reputation tomorrow, if you’ll have me, I’m yours.”

Dana didn’t know what to say. In lieu of words she pressed a kiss to Stella’s soft lips, one filled with passion and feeling. She hoped Stella knew that she felt the same way. She took a breath and said the only thing that came to mind. “There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you now.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, all mistakes are my own  
> Please let me know what you think and thank you again to everyone for their lovely comments :D

Dana felt the annoyance simmering just beneath the surface. It wouldn’t take much more for it to turn into anger. She let her eyes analyse the room they were in. It was nothing short of a dressed-up interrogation room. Eastwood had apologised profusely as he’d led them to the door, stating that the decision had been taken out of his hands.

She paid no attention as Eastwood and a Chief Superintendent entered the room.

“DSI Gibson, I’d like to note that this interview is being recorded however you are not under investigation and are therefore free to leave at any time. Now, we have your statement of the night in question, but can you tell us again what happened on the night you were assaulted in your hotel room?”

Stella took a deep breath in and Dana let her hand fall discretely onto the blonde’s thigh under the table.

“I met with Professor Reed-Smith in the hotel bar that night. I returned to my room alone around eleven and a few minutes later there was a knock on my door. It was Burns asking if he could come in. I asked him why and he said he would only be five minutes. I let him in and asked if he’d been drinking. He confirmed that he had and I suggested that he should phone his AA sponsor. He poured both of us a drink but I declined. He drank both.

“He went on to tell me that Aaron Monroe had tried to kill his father. Then he disclosed to me that it was him who tipped off Monroe Senior about his son’s imminent arrest, that he wanted to make Monroe’s position ‘ _untenable’_ in his own words.”

Stella took another breath, her gaze fixed somewhere on the wall behind Eastwood’s head, her hand now covering Dana’s. While she’d like to be able to pull on the mask she’d perfected on her last visit to Belfast, she no longer had it in her to pretend she was unaffected.

“He started crying and he looked at me in a way that made me realise what was going to happen next. He stood up and I took a step back. He moved towards me and he said he _‘wanted me so badly’_. I said ‘ _don’t’_ but he didn’t listen.

“He started begging me to help him forget all he’d seen. I said no a couple more times but he kept advancing on me. So I put a hand out to stop him. Instead he grabbed my wrists and kept begging. When I said no again and told him to stop, he held me by the head, one hand on either side of my face and tried to pull me to try to kiss me. But he kept begging, even when I told him to stop again. He tried to push me towards the bed and that’s when I managed to get my hand free. I hit him in the nose with the heel of my hand and he let me go. He stumbled backwards holding his face and seemed shocked that I had fought back.”

Dana’s eyes found Stella’s face and she wasn’t surprised to find that while the blonde’s tone had been detached and almost professional, there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

Stella reached up to wipe the collecting tears from her chin as Eastwood’s companion – whose name neither of them had listened to – spoke up.

“Burns has stated that you and he have a prior sexual relationship, is that correct?”

Stella let out a humourless laugh, her eyes bright with anger. “I’ve known Burns for a number of years. Our paths have crossed through work on a handful of occasions. On one of those occasions, I made the mistake of sleeping with him. It only happened once and it was a very, very long time ago. I thought nothing of it and moved on immediately. During my time in Belfast on the Spector case, it became clear that Burns had not moved on. He followed me into the ladies’ bathroom and informed me that he would have left his wife and children for me. I advised him that it would have been a mistake. So, no. I would not say that we have a prior sexual relationship. A one night stand a minimum of fifteen years ago, to me, does not constitute a relationship.”

“Understood. Can you tell me what happened after you hit Burns?”

Dana fought the urge to roll her eyes. She’d seen a copy of Stella’s statement with her own eyes less than three hours ago. They had all of this information already.

“I took him into the bathroom of my hotel room and cleaned the blood from his face as to not raise any questions as he was leaving. Later that night I discovered that Paul Spector had been in my hotel room and it took my focus away from the incident with Burns.”

“You didn’t report the assault immediately. Why not?”

Stella sighed. “Well for starters a serial killer had been snooping around my room and reading my private journal. Other than that, I was planning on waiting until the case was closed. I didn’t want to take any attention away from finding Rose Stagg. I wrote up a statement – which I know you have – and I was planning on having Professor Reed-Smith document the bruises on my wrists.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Is this really necessary? You already have this information.” Stella asked and Dana could hear the barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

“You can leave at any time, Stella.” Eastwood assured her, speaking for the first time. “If you want to end the interview or would like to take a break that’s fine.”

“Let’s just get it over with.” Stella shook her head. “When I discovered Spector had been in my room. I changed into more appropriate clothing and called DCI Eastwood to let him know that my room was now a crime scene. When he arrived, we talked and when I moved an arm my sleeve slipped and he noticed the bruising. He didn’t say anything at that point, but when the CCTV footage from that night showed Burns leaving my room holding his face, DCI Eastwood approached me and asked if everything was alright or if there was something he should know. I decided to report the incident then instead of after the case had closed.”

Dana was itching to get Stella out of the interview room as the DCS asked a few more useless questions. She had to suppress the urge to jump from her seat when the interview came to a close.

“Thank you for your time DSI Gibson. Your story is consistent which is a good sign. We’ll be in touch later today to let you know how things will be proceeding.”

“Of course it’s consistent, it’s what happened.” Stella snapped. She closed her eyes and let out a resigned sigh when she felt Dana squeeze her hand. “Sorry.”

“I understand that this is not easy for you, especially on the heels of a tough case and while recovering from an attack.”

Stella said nothing more but let her hand fall to Dana’s back as they stood, guiding her from the room and down the hallway before the condescending woman could say another word to enrage them.

Finally alone, Stella pulled Dana into a crushing embrace, taking the redhead by surprise. “Thank you.”

Dana didn’t know what she was being thanked for but decided that now was not the time to question it. Instead, when Stella released her, she brought her hands up and ran her thumbs under the blonde’s tear-clumped eyelashes, collecting her smudged mascara.

“Coffee? I’m afraid I can’t promise it will be good.” Stella attempted a half-hearted joke.

Dana nodded with a small smile and allowed Stella to lead her to the break room.

Finally armed with caffeine, they made their way back to the large office space that had been assigned to the task force, allowing them to pull together the last of their information regarding the investigation.

Dana watched as Stella perched on the edge of a table, turning her attention to the news playing on the TV for lack of something to do.

_“It was a week ago today that the Belfast Strangler took his own life after terrorising the city for months. Last night, we were provided with some exclusive footage which some viewers may find distressing…”_

A number of heads turned to the TV at the warning, unsure of what could possibly be shown.

Dana felt Stella freeze as the grainy black and white image of an interview room filled the screen. Her own stomach plummeted when she realised that along with Spector and his solicitor, there were two officers seated across from him. Her eyes shot from the distinctive image of Stella on the screen, to the real-life Stella beside her.

“Stella.” Dana’s voice was gentle at first in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to them. She got no response as she looked into her girlfriend’s fear-stricken eyes. “Stel.”

Dana moved to stand in the blonde’s eye line, placing herself between her and the TV. “Stella?”

There was no reply as tears once again flooded Stella’s eyes and her breathing began to quicken.

“Turn that off!” Dana’s commanding voice startled everyone in the room and a few officers scrambled to find the remote. “Everyone out! Give us five minutes.”

The room emptied quickly and Dana was relieved as she took a cautious step closer to Stella. She knew that usually it was contact that helped ground the blonde during panic attacks, but this was different.

“Stella, baby.” Dana’s voice was firm but kind. “Look at me.”

Stella’s panicked eyes darted to meet Dana’s and she let out a sigh of relief that Stella was at least aware of her presence.

“Good. Keep your eyes on me, there’s nobody else here, it’s just us.” Dana assured her. “I know your ribs hurt but I need you to follow my breathing, okay? Nice, steady breaths.”

They sat in silence as Stella tried to do as Dana asked, slowly regaining control of her breathing as the adrenaline drained from her system. She closed her eyes as a sob fought its way from the depths of her chest.

Dana moved quickly and gathered Stella into her arms to cradle her against her chest. Her hand landed in Stella’s hair, holding her close as she cried.

It seemed like an age later when Stella finally pulled herself from a sitting position. “Fuck, my ribs.”

Stella’s raspy voice tugged at Dana’s heartstrings as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of makeup wipes. “Your mascara is long gone, but these are cold. They’ll help reduce the redness.”

Stella thanked her and held the cold wipes against her burning eyes and nose until they had cooled a little. She gasped in pain when she reached to deposit them in a nearby waste basket.

Dana moved back to her side again as they heard footsteps approaching. “Let me help your ribs?” Stella nodded and tried to relax into Dana’s hold. “Why don’t you take something for them?”

Stella shook her head, grateful for Dana’s gentle compression as she attempted to take a deep breath, mindful that officers were beginning to return to the room. They couldn’t stay away forever. “I’m fine. I won’t be able to focus on anything. Even if I only take one.”

Dana sighed, knowing she was fighting an uphill battle. “It doesn’t have to be the tramadol, but you could take something else just to take the edge off the pain?”

Stella shook her head again. “I’m okay.”

Dana only raised an eyebrow. She knew that Stella’s pride had been wounded enough by her team witnessing the start of her panic attack, the last thing she wanted was to make the blonde feel smaller.

“You’re not, but I won’t push you.” Dana spoke, just loud enough for Stella to hear. “If you need anything, I have plenty in my bag.”

Stella only nodded and took a breath, relieved when it came easier and hurt a little less. “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me.” Dana gave her a sincere smile as she once again echoed Stella’s words back to her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this could potentially be the last of the daily updates, there are still plenty more chapters to come, but I resume my online classes for college in the morning so the time I have to write & edit may be limited.
> 
> But I am also the queen of procrastination so there is also every chance that this will carry on as normal because I'll use it as an excuse to put off college work...

Stella sighed as she followed Dana into the hotel room. She truly was exhausted and she was beyond grateful for foresight when it came to their evening plans. There was nothing she wanted less than to get ready and spend the night in a restaurant with people staring and whispering.

Instead, they had what she felt was the perfect evening planned. Dana insisted on running Stella a bath and refused to join her. Once Stella was suitably relaxed they’d order room service and then curl up in bed to find a movie to watch.

Dana was hoping she’d be able to convince Stella to take at least one tablet. She knew the blonde was reluctant, but if things went her way, then Stella would drop from two tablets before bed to just one, it was a compromise. She’d still be able to sleep pain-free but she would feel less groggy come morning and when she did stop taking them altogether, it would be less of a jump.

The bathroom smelled divine as Stella stripped her clothes off, for once leaving them on the floor by the bed before she moved into the bathroom. She inhaled the scented steam happily as Dana stood from her place by the tub.

With Stella settled in the comforting water, Dana returned to the stool she’d found and perched on it, leaning one arm over the edge of the tub, letting it dangle in the water.

“Thank you.” Stella told her softly. “For everything.

Dana shook her head, surprised at the sting of tears she felt behind her eyes. “I meant it when I said you don’t have to thank me. I just hate that any of this happened to you. I hate that you’re hurt, I hate that before you’ve even had time to heal, mentally, emotionally, or physically, you’ve been dragged here to have the wounds torn open again. I despise the way you seem to be under the microscope despite the fact that he could have killed you on more than one occasion. I hate that they brought you here only to thank you by allowing you to be assaulted twice and then have you shoulder the blame for everything that went wrong.”

Stella was surprised by the emotion in Dana’s voice. Her hand found the redhead’s, intertwining their fingers. “If it hadn’t happened I never would have met you.” Stella waited for Dana to meet her eyes. “If he hadn’t attacked me, my ribs would be fine. I wouldn’t have even left my house that night. I certainly wouldn’t have had a panic attack in the middle of the park. Which in turn means that you never would have come to my rescue.”

Dana nodded though she didn’t look convinced. Instead of saying any more, she gently took her hand from Stella’s and let it travel up the blonde’s arm, trailing over her skin until she reached her neck. She leaned in, cupping Stella’s jaw as she captured her lips in a kiss that she hoped conveyed more than words could say.

When they parted, Stella reached up to tuck a strand of red hair behind Dana’s ear, unable to tear her gaze from her girlfriend’s soulful eyes. She pulled her in for another soft kiss, whispering against her lips. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know.” Dana replied just as softly.

~X~

Stella hummed happily as she felt Dana’s hands in her hair. She’d surprised even herself when she had allowed the redhead to wash it for her in the bath. She’d floored them both when she suggested that Dana be the one to dry it for her too. But here they were.

They’d eaten dinner on the bed. Dana had ordered it before washing Stella’s hair and it had arrived just as she had stepped out of the bath. She’d been almost unable to tear her eyes from her girlfriend as they ate. Even wearing only a soft hotel robe, with her hair in a towel and a spot of rich tomato sauce from her pasta on her chin, she was beautiful. To Dana that felt like an understatement, but she struggled to think of a more accurate description.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Stella broke the peaceful silence as Dana let a hot curl fall against her shoulder. Before Dana could respond she added, “And before you say anything, you’ve just spent two days in a police station with me, so we’re going to spend tomorrow doing whatever you want.”

Dana sighed but knew it was pointless arguing. She thought for a moment. “We could have breakfast here, then maybe see the city hall? We could go for a walk or something. A friend was here a while back and highly recommended the Titanic Museum. Of course we don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Then I thought we could go out for dinner.”

Stella smiled and caught Dana’s eye in the mirror in front of them. “That sounds wonderful. You know, it was a week ago tomorrow that we met.”

“Well in that case we’ll definitely be going out for dinner. We have to celebrate our anniversary.” Dana laughed lightly.

Stella laughed too. It felt like so much longer than a week. The thought brought Tom Anderson’s words to mind and she bit back a sigh. “Dana?” The redhead only hummed in response, concentrating on the curling wand in hand. “When’s your birthday?”

“Oh.” Dana paused as the realisation hit her that while it felt like she had known Stella for a lifetime, they didn’t actually know all that much about each other. “February twenty third. When’s yours?”

“Seventeenth of August.” Stella answered. She knew how old Dana was, just like Dana knew her age, but that was it really. “Tell me about your family?”

Dana sighed as she thought of where to begin, glad to have a task to concentrate on. “My dad was in the navy so we moved around a lot. There were four of us. My brother Bill, my sister Melissa, me, and then my brother Charlie. And my parents obviously…

“My father died of a heart attack in 1994. And then my sister died the year later. She was shot in my apartment by people who were looking for me. My mom is fantastic. I keep in touch as much as we can, I haven’t told her about you just yet. I want to but I was raised Catholic, most of my family are still religious. My brother Bill is a bit of an ass. He hated Mulder, hated that I was in the FBI, judged everything I did. I think he’d like you though, but probably not so much once he found out the truth. He’s like a carbon copy of my father, just with less kids. He’s in the navy, married the perfect housewife, they have a son named Matthew, but I haven’t seen them since I moved here. And Charlie… we haven’t seen or heard from him in years.” Dana took a deep breath. “What about your family?”

Stella stayed quiet for a moment. “I was an only child. Well, I was raised as one. I have a half-sister somewhere but I only met her once when she was an infant. My mother and father didn’t have a very happy marriage. I think really, she was in it for his money. And that was fine until she fell pregnant. From what I’ve been told, my father was overjoyed and insisted that he’d raise me alone if that’s what she wanted. She stayed with him but was never much of a mother to me. He died when I was fourteen, he had cancer. I was shipped off to boarding school and two months later my mother was three months pregnant and engaged. She moved to America, actually. I met the baby after it was born and that was the last time I saw my mother until I was in my twenties…

“She came back just after my twenty first birthday because she finally found out that my father had left our family home to me. She had thought it had been left to his brother. They didn’t get along so when she found out that it was my house she came begging me to sell it to her. Only so she could sell it and make a profit. I refused.” Stella took a deep breath. “I still live in it now.”

“It’s a beautiful house.” Dana told her quietly. “I’m sorry about your mother, nobody deserves a mother who doesn’t want them.”

Stella looked up just in time to see Dana carefully mask a flash of pain in her eyes. “I’m sorry about your father and your sister.”

Dana gave her a sad smile and turned off the curling wand. She arranged Stella’s hair over her shoulders and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. “You look lovely.”

“I had the best stylist.” Stella joked as she stood and moved towards the bed. It wasn’t late but she was tired. “Let’s watch a movie.”

~X~

Stella felt the anxiety build in her stomach as she and Dana walked hand in hand through the city. It had been going well until she caught sight of a familiar face now less than twenty feet away.

“Stella?”

Stella plastered on a small smile as they reached the other woman. “Tanya, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you? I heard what happened, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just a little bruised.” Stella nodded, she almost felt the look Dana gave her and rolled her eyes to appease her girlfriend. “Okay, some parts are broken too. But it’s fine I have my own personal doctor on hand to keep me suitably doped up on painkillers.”

Tanya worked hard to keep her face neutral as she looked at Dana, taking in the way the two women stood brushing shoulders before she let her eyes fall to their joined hands.

“Dana, this is Professor Reed-Smith, she was the pathologist assigned to the investigation.” Stella introduced, aware and only a little sorry that her avoidance of Tanya’s first name probably stung. “Tanya, my girlfriend, Dana Scully. Medical doctor, former FBI agent and former forensic pathologist.”

Tanya’s eyebrows raised at the introduction. “Wow, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Dana greeted with a tight smile. It was obvious to her that the professor seemed put out by the introduction. She wasn’t sure if it was because she and Stella had almost slept together rather recently, or if it was because Stella now had a girlfriend, or if she just felt awkward at the whole situation.

“I’ll let you two get on with the rest of your day. When do you fly home?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Stella answered. “Dana and I have plans for the rest of tonight but we should try to catch up some time.”

Tanya only nodded before she bid them goodbye and disappeared from sight. Once she was gone Dana let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “That wasn’t awkward at all.”

Stella sighed. “I’m not sure what was wrong. I don’t know if she’s still feeling awkward because I kissed her and tried to bed her, guilty or blaming me because we managed to get one of her good friends kidnapped by Spector, or whether she was bothered that I’m in a relationship.”

“Do you think it’s the relationship that bothers her?”

“In what way?”

“Well, do you think she’s confused because she doesn’t know if you were in one when you came onto her? Or do you think it’s because she wishes she’d taken the opportunity? Or that she’s not all that comfortable with a same sex relationship after all?” Dana asked, struggling to put her thoughts into words for a change.

They walked in silence as Stella thought. “I’m not sure. Really, the thought that we were together when I kissed her shouldn’t bother her. She may not want to be the other woman, but the way I see it, it’s down to me to worry about my relationship, not her. If she wishes she had taken the chance, then there was every opportunity for her to phone me and suggest we meet for a drink like we did that night... And when it comes to her comfort with same sex relationships, I truly have no idea. She was raised in Croydon…” Stella bit back a humourless chuckle. “A part of London where people are generally rather conservative. It was the excuse she gave me just before she walked away while we waited for the elevator.”

Dana chuckled. “Whatever it is, you can’t fix it if you don’t know what’s wrong.”

Stella squeezed her hand and smiled. “Come on. Let’s go back. We can change before dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm struggling tonight, I don't really know why, possibly because I start classes again tomorrow, but I was barely paying attention when I read this over so if there are any glaring mistakes or inconsistencies, please let me know :)


	12. Chapter 12

Stella was having a hard time keeping her eyes off Dana. They sat, tucked away at a small table for two in the corner of a beautiful restaurant, their main courses had been delightful and now she was openly staring as her girlfriend perused the dessert menu.

It took some convincing but Dana had finally given in and agreed to treat herself to a dessert, but only on the condition that they would share it. So now she was examining the menu, searching for something that they both liked but would be soft enough for Stella to eat.

“Do you like dark chocolate?”

Stella snapped out of her reverie and looked up. Dana’s eyes were sparkling with amusement and Stella knew she’d been well and truly caught. “I do.”

Dana nodded and waved the waiter over to place their order, requesting two spoons and denying a second plate. She turned back to Stella once the young man was out of earshot and leaned in, holding eye contact over the table.

“You might be pleased to know that I packed that lace thing after all.”

Stella grinned at the suggestive tone in Dana’s voice. It was almost enough to prompt her to cancel their order and settle the bill immediately. But she didn’t, she wanted their date to last as long as possible, even if that meant she had to wait to take the redhead’s clothes off.

The waiter returned and set the plate in the middle of the small table, placing cutlery in front of each of them. Dana thanked him with a smile and when she turned back to Stella, she found the blonde with a bitesize piece of rich chocolate cake on a fork, holding it out towards her.

“You first.” Stella told her.

There was a look in Stella’s eye that Dana couldn’t quite place as she leaned in and carefully let the blonde feed her. She let out a small noise of appreciation as she savoured the taste. When she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of Stella watching her intently, biting her bottom lip. She stared for a moment, her eyes dropping to Stella’s lips as her tongue darted out to soothe the small mark left by her teeth.

“Your turn.”

Stella said nothing as Dana offered a bite of the cake to her. She took it, let her eyes remain on Dana’s as she did. She caught the flash of arousal that Dana tried to hide, but instead of calling her out on it, she simply shot her a sultry smile before taking another forkful of cake.

Dana shifted in her seat, she felt like she could melt under the heat of Stella’s gaze. She was simultaneously disappointed and relieved when Stella’s attention turned back to their dessert.

Soon, they were leaving the restaurant hand in hand. Stella groaned as her phone rang but frowned in confusion when she saw Dani’s caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hey, so don’t feel any pressure to say yes, I know you mentioned that you and Dana had plans tonight, but a handful of us were going to grab a few drinks to celebrate the end of the case. You and Dana are more than welcome to join us. We’re on our way now, I can send you the address of the bar if you’d like?”

Stella sighed at Dani’s offer. Any other night she would have accepted, she looked into Dana’s concerned face. “One moment Dani.” She held the phone away from her mouth. “We’ve been invited for drinks with some people from work. I’ll just apologise and send Dani the money for a couple of rounds on me.”

Dana shook her head adamantly. “I think we should go. This case brought you so much pain. I think having a drink and relaxing with your colleagues will end it on a good note, give you something nice to think about instead of the hurt and anger.”

Stella smirked at her. “A date that ends in me seeing you in that lingerie is a good note to end on, too.”

Dana rolled her eyes playfully. “You know what I meant. Besides, you still get to take my clothes off at the end of the night. It’ll just be later than planned.”

Stella sighed. She knew Dana was right so she brought the phone back to her ear. “You still there, Dani?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll see you there, can you send me the address?”

“Of course, see you soon.”

Dana smiled as Stella hung up the phone. She was glad that despite the case, Stella seemed to have formed at least one friendship during her time here.

~X~

Stella was relieved when she entered the bar and easily found Dani at a table with Gail, Glen, and Eastwood. It was a secluded booth, large enough for the six of them and a few others maybe but with enough privacy to hold a conversation without being overheard. The music was loud and there was a handful of people on the dance floor already. She led Dana to the booth, only dropping her hand to remove her jacket before sitting down.

“Okay, this one’s on me, what are we all having?” Eastwood asked as Stella and Dana slid onto the round bench seat beside Dani.

They fell into easy conversation, pointedly avoiding all talk of the case, each telling stories of their most bizarre experiences in the line of duty.

On her way back from the bathroom Stella smiled when she heard Burning Love playing. She’d never been a particular Elvis Presley fan, but there was something about this song that always brought a smile to her face.

She spotted Dana on her way to the bar, just passing the dance floor and made a beeline for the redhead. Dana yelped in surprise when she felt Stella’s arms circle her waist as the chorus began to play.

_Your kisses lift me higher_

_Like the sweet song of a choir_

_You light my morning sky_

_With burning love_

The blonde’s blue eyes sparkled as she sang along before spinning Dana under her arm. Her hands fell to her girlfriend’s waist and she placed a sweet kiss to her lips, knowing they were being watched. She didn’t care. She saw the happiness in Dana’s eyes as she released her, allowing her to continue on her way to the bar.

She was about to make her way back to the booth when she saw a familiar face hovering by the door, clearly looking for them.

“Well, you’re certainly in better nick than the last time I saw you.”

Stella let out a small laugh at the doctor’s words and nodded. “That isn’t hard.”

“How are you? If I didn’t know better, judging by the dancing I’d say you’re healing well… but I do know better and I know you like to hide your pain.” Joe O’Donnell told her pointedly. “How are you doing?”

“The alcohol is numbing the pain for now. Come tomorrow I won’t be able to move.” Stella admitted.

O’Donnell hummed and his eyes found the redhead Stella had been dancing with. “Can I ask you something?” When Stella nodded he continued. “When I asked you in the hospital if you’d ever been truly happy, if so when, you answered that you had before your father died. You aren’t truly happy now? With her?”

Stella sighed and a small smile crossed her face when she watched Dana deliver drinks to their table before returning to the bar. “I am. But we haven’t actually been together that long. Not that I’ve mentioned that to anyone here though.”

“My lips are sealed. I’m glad you’ve got someone.” O’Donnell assured her.

“Me too.” Stella nodded. “I have to admit that while I appreciate your attempt to keep the PTSD at bay, it wasn’t particularly effective. She makes it easier though. We met while I was having a panic attack, actually.”

“Oh?” O’Donnell wasn’t sure what to say, despite the hint of amusement in Stella’s voice.

“I’d been having nightmares and I couldn’t sleep. I went for a walk and the cold shocked my lungs. I tried to take a deep breath, which then hurt my ribs and it was a downward spiral from there.”

“She find you passed out in the ice?”

“Almost. She’s a doctor. She was out running after her shift at the hospital and she stopped to help me. When I realised I was almost an hour’s walk away from home she actually took me back to her place. Then she interrogated me on my medical history and drugged me before she took me home when they started to kick in.”

“And the rest was history.” O’Donnell chuckled.

“Something like that.”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Thank you.” Stella smiled. It grew to a beam when she noticed Dana approaching carrying three drinks.

“I wasn’t sure what you drank so I took a guess. Sorry if it’s wrong.” Dana smiled awkwardly at O’Donnell as Stella took her wine.

He thanked her, watching as Stella wrapped an arm around the redhead’s waist and pulled her close until she could rest her chin against Dana’s shoulder if she wanted to.

“Dana, this is Joe O’Donnell, the marvellous doctor who stitched my eyebrow back together and prescribed me the drugs you keep coercing me into taking.” Dana laughed at Stella’s introduction and reached out to shake his hand. “Joe, my girlfriend, Dana Scully, the doctor who keeps coercing me into taking the drugs you prescribed me.”

O’Donnell laughed too. He’d gotten a brief glimpse of Stella’s sense of humour the night he’d spent by her bedside in the hospital, but given that she had been doped up on painkillers and still in pain he wasn’t surprised that she was much more herself now.

“You two look happy. You’d never know it’s only been a week.”

With that he was gone. They watched him approach the rest of the group and Dana turned to Stella with a raised eyebrow.

Stella sighed. “He sat with me almost all night after his shift the night I was attacked, asked me a lot of questions to keep me awake. One of them was ‘have you ever been truly happy? If so, when?’ I told him I had been when I was a girl, before my father died. So when he arrived to see us dancing, he asked if I was truly happy with you. I told him I am, but we hadn’t been together that long which turned into an explanation of how we met.”

Dana gave Stella’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

Stella simply gave her a peck on the cheek before they made their way to join their peers.

Less than an hour later, Stella found herself alone with Dani at the table. She wasn’t sure where everyone else had gone, likely to the bar or outside, but she wasn’t bothered. It was nice to have five minutes alone with the younger woman.

“You’re head over heels in love with her, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

~X~

Stella’s jaw dropped when Dana emerged from the bathroom seemingly wearing nothing but a short silk robe. Her face was free of makeup and her hair fell past her shoulders in gentle waves.

“You like?” Dana smiled with a soft laugh when she saw Stella’s face.

Stella said nothing from her perch on the edge of the bed. Instead she reached for Dana’s waist and pulled her close until she was standing between the blonde’s knees.

Dana’s fingers ran through blonde hair as Stella’s hands landed on her waist. She looked down and met Stella’s eyes, taken aback by the sheer emotion she saw there.

“You’re stunning.” Stella murmured as her hands toyed with the sash tied around Dana’s waist.

Dana took her hands from Stella’s hair and untied the robe. She let it fall open, revealing the lace lingerie. Stella smiled up at her and bit her lip as the robe fell to the floor. She pulled Dana down, her heart racing when the redhead straddled her thighs and settled in her lap.

Dana cupped Stella’s jaw with both hands and pressed a slow and passionate kiss on her lips. She sighed as she felt Stella’s hands move from her waist to her back and then down to her backside.

Stella’s lips trailed down to Dana’s neck, sucking gently as she palmed her breasts. She smiled at the moan the redhead released. She made quick work of pulling the lace down, straining the straps as her breasts were freed.

Her mouth and hand moved downward simultaneously, her lips closing around a nipple as her hand landed between Dana’s thighs. She sucked and stroked, listening to Dana’s breathing pick up at her ministrations.

“Stella…” Dana breathed as her head fell back, almost begging.

Stella said nothing, simply continued to tease a nipple with her tongue, her free hand playing with the other. The hand between Dana’s legs pulled the flimsy piece of lace to the side and dipped her middle finger into the wetness she found.

Dana let out a needy whimper, her hips pushing down into Stella’s lap. “Please.”

Stella took the hint and stopped teasing. She stroked Dana a few more times before slowly pushing two fingers inside, pumping at a steady pace as the heel of her hand bumped Dana’s clit.

The redhead gasped and Stella lifted her head from her breasts to watch her face. Dana’s eyes were closed, her brow slightly furrowed as she let herself get lost in the sensations Stella was giving her.

Gently, Stella withdrew her fingers before carefully adding a third, watching Dana’s face as she tested the waters.

Dana gave a small cry of pleasure and her head dipped forward, her hot breath and her hair tickling Stella’s neck. Her hips moved in time with Stella’s hand, her breath coming in fast pants as the blonde moved faster.

She let out another soft moan and lifted her head to capture Stella’s lips with hers.

Stella swallowed Dana’s cry as she came, shuddering in her girlfriend’s lap. She moved her hands to Dana’s hips, stroking her sides gently as she calmed down.

They stayed like that in silence for what felt like an hour until Dana sat up to look into Stella’s eyes. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't too bad, lemme know what you think :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HUGE thank you to stel_gibs for being my sounding board and now accidental marketing manager for this fic and putting up with my endless DMs on twitter :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit longer than usual...  
> If there are any mistakes let me know because I sat for like two hours trying to read over this and kept getting distracted by real life  
> let me know what you think because I'm needy haha,  
> Also thank you so much for all the love this has been getting both here and on twitter last night, it means so much to me!

Stella felt Dana freeze as soon as the worse tumbled from her mouth. Before she could process what was happening, Dana had torn herself from her grasp and was frantically trying to pull her robe back on.

“Dana-”

“I’m so sorry.” Dana exclaimed as she fumbled with the sleeves of the robe. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Well, actually I did. But I didn’t mean to say it yet. I’m-”

“Dana, love, if you apologise one more time I’m gonna kick your arse.” Stella said pointedly.

Dana froze again and looked up from her attempts to tie the sash around her waist. Stella was still sitting on the edge of the bed, her face was almost unreadable and it sent a wave of fear through her. She watched the blonde take a deep breath and braced herself for whatever rebuke was about to come her way.

“I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

Dana stared at Stella blankly, unable to process the words.

Seeing her girlfriend’s fear Stella nodded for her to come closer and patted the spot on the bed beside her. “Come here.”

Dana complied, planting herself so close to the blonde that their thighs touched.

Stella took another deep breath and stared at a spot across the room. “I feel the same way. This is uncharted territory for me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared before. But that’s not a bad thing. I’m scared because I’ve come to feel so much for you so quickly, it’s taken a week – less even – for you to become such an important part of my life that I don’t know what I’d do if I had to go back to life without you.

“For a long, long time I didn’t _do_ relationships. I was okay on my own. So I’m going to get things wrong, I’m going to pull away when I think I’ve upset you, or if I think you’re pulling away from me. Because that’s how I’ve come to protect myself over the years. But please never doubt how much I want you in my life.” Stella paused and ran a hand through her hair. “It’s… uncharacteristic… for me to even have this conversation with you. I’ve opened up to you much more in the past few days than I can ever remember opening up to anyone. But you make me want to. I want you to know me and I want to know you.”

Dana nodded in understanding and blew out a long breath. “I thought I’d scared you off for good. I know exactly how you feel. It’s different for me. I spent so long with Mulder, even when we weren’t truly together. My life revolved around him for so long. It was like we were married and yet now I have almost nothing to show for my life. I’m learning how to do this again, how to be with someone and open up to them, even when I’m scared of what the reaction will be. But with you it’s easy. I’m scared that once you know my history, I’ll lose you.”

Stella shook her head and took Dana’s hand in her own. “Everyone has a past. Some are just prettier than others.”

Dana let out a shaky sigh and Stella was almost surprised to see the tears in her eyes. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

“So tell me.” Stella said simply. “It doesn’t have to be today. But when you’re comfortable, tell me. All at once or in bits and pieces. I’ll listen.”

“I’m worried you won’t be able to look at me the same way again. I’m worried you’ll hate me.”

Stella’s heart broke at the whisper. She took her hand from Dana’s and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her girlfriend into a comforting embrace. “I won’t hate you.”

Dana leaned heavily on Stella as she tried to compose herself. She shot upright when she heard the blonde’s sharp intake of breath at the weight. “Oh, your ribs! I’m so sorry, Stella!”

Stella shook her head. “It’s okay. Come on, let’s get some sleep.”

Stella quickly rid herself of her clothes and pulled on a soft t-shirt she knew belonged to Dana. As they climbed into bed, she held Dana close. “You won’t lose me, so stop worrying and sleep.”

Dana’s only reply was a soft kiss on Stella’s jaw.

~X~

Dana sighed as she sat up in bed and turned to look at Stella’s peaceful form. It was less than half an hour until their alarm would go off and she took the opportunity to just observe.

Her concerns from the night before still played on her mind but after a good night of sleep in Stella’s arms, they seemed less pressing. She wasn’t sure there would ever be a ‘right’ time to tell Stella about the X-Files and all that went with it, she wasn’t sure how she’d ever manage to tell her about William. All she knew was that she wanted to share it all with her, she just didn’t know how.

Her phone vibrating with an incoming call broke the silence and she almost dropped the device when she saw the caller ID.

“Hello?” She kept her voice low as she climbed out of bed and moved to the other side of the room in an attempt to let Stella sleep.

_“Scully, it’s me.”_

“Mulder it’s barely seven in the morning.” Dana told him, her voice riddled with confusion.

_“Shit, sorry.”_

When he didn’t elaborate Dana rolled her eyes. “Why are you calling me, Mulder?”

_“I’m in London.”_

Dana’s jaw dropped. “What? Since when? For how long? Why?”

_“I just landed. I’m here for a couple days. I thought maybe we could do breakfast or something?”_

“I, uh, I’m not home right now. I’m not even in London, actually.” Dana sighed as she heard Stella’s alarm go off, followed by a disgruntled groan from the blonde. “I’m in Belfast.”

She saw Stella sit up at the sound of her voice, a tired look of confusion on her face.

“Late morning. We have a couple things to do here first. Our flight is at ten. We should be back in London by eleven thirty.” Dana answered and shot Stella a good morning smile. “No, I’m not alone. I’ll ask her and let you know. But if I say no, Mulder, I mean it. I don’t want any surprises. Thank you. Goodbye.”

Stella raised an eyebrow as Dana hung up and looked at the phone as though it had just kicked her puppy.

“Everything okay?”

Dana nodded. “That was Mulder. He just landed in London and wanted to get breakfast… He offered to pick us up from the airport. I told him I’d ask you and let him know.”

“If you’re comfortable with it then it’s okay with me.”

“I just met a load of your colleagues, Stella.”

Stella shook her head. “That’s different. He’s not just a colleague. He’s someone who will always hold an incredibly important space in your life. If you’re not ready to tell him I’m your girlfriend, that’s okay. If you don’t want me to meet him at all right now, that’s okay, too.”

“I don’t deserve you.” Dana smiled softly as she joined Stella sitting on the bed.

“How much does he know?”

“In general, he knows I had a brief couple of relationships with girls in med school. I haven’t spoken to him in a while, so when it comes to us he knows nothing.”

“Then this is your decision. I’ll follow your lead.”

With a deep breath Dana suddenly realised the time. “Shit! We have to get ready if we want to be at the station on time.”

Stella groaned, the last thing she wanted was to go to work. Luckily, the morning schedule held no meetings. It was simply a quick chat to debrief before she left Belfast, hopefully for good this time.

~X~

Stella froze at the voice and she knew Dana had noticed. She placed her hand on her girlfriend’s back and gave her a nudge forward. “Keep walking.”

“Stella! Don’t ignore me. I know you can hear me.”

Dana cast a glance at Stella only to receive a subtle head shake from the blonde. She didn’t question it and kept walking.

“Do you really hate me that much? Hate _men_ that much?”

It was the tone in the man’s voice that prompted Dana to spin on her heel, swiftly evading Stella’s outstretched hand. “Excuse me?”

“So you’re the girlfriend?”

“Doctor Dana Scully.” Dana told him as she rounded on him. “Jim Burns, I presume?”

“This has nothing to do with you-”

“It has everything to do with me.” Dana interrupted. “You called my girlfriend over here under the guise of work only to spend the entire investigation sexually harassing her and thank her by drunkenly trying to rape her in her hotel room? She owes you nothing. You owe it to her to have some respect.”

“Dana.” Stella tried as she wrapped a gentle hand around the redhead’s wrists.

“She has no respect for herself, how can she expect it from other people?” Burns spat.

“It is not her responsibility to dress or act in a way which appeases you. I don’t give a shit what you think you feel for her. She said no and you didn’t stop.”

“Dana, let’s go.” Stella said more firmly, pulling Dana away from Burns. “He’s not worth it.”

Dana’s blood boiled as she felt Burns watch them go. They hadn’t been surprised to find that Burns’ resignation had been accepted as a form of self-punishment and that he would face no further consequence for his assault on Stella, but still, it left them both with rage simmering just beneath the surface.

In the car on the way to the airport Stella let out a sigh. “Thank you. I know you know that you didn’t have to protect me, but I appreciate you standing up for me.”

“Always.” Dana told her quietly. “If you’d rather I told Mulder not to pick us up I can. It’s not too late.”

Stella shook her head. She wasn’t sure she was in the right headspace to meet Dana’s partner turned lover turned best friend turned whatever. She still didn’t know enough about their history and their relationship to understand it, something told her that even when she had the information she still may not understand. But given everything Dana had done for her she knew it was the least she could do. It was the first time since the move that the former partners would come face to face and she refused to let Dana postpone that for her.

She planned on sleeping for the duration of the plane ride. It wasn’t a long flight but she hoped the sleep would help with the exhaustion that had plagued her all morning. Her stomach was churning but she put it down to the amount of alcohol she’d consumed the night before mixed with the ache in her ribs and the stress of the morning’s events.

She just prayed that while she felt sick, she’d manage to keep her breakfast down. The thought of spending the flight with her head in a toilet or a sick bag almost made the feeling intensify.

~X~

It was a relief when they finally stepped off of the plane. The smell of the drizzling rain filled Stella’s lungs and she let out a soft sigh. It was good to be home, even if she felt like shit. Dana had announced when they landed that she looked as bad as she felt, her pale skin an unhealthy shade of white.

She could feel herself lagging as she followed Dana towards the exit but she plastered on a brave face and her most pleasant smile as she noticed a tall man making his way towards them.

“Scully!”

Dana beamed as the man wrapped her in a tight hug. She returned it and turned to Stella when they parted. “Mulder, meet my girlfriend, Stella Gibson. Stell, Fox Mulder.”

“I just go by Mulder.”

Stella shook his hand and greeted him, surprised when her voice sounded like it came from far away. She was grateful when Dana put a steadying hand on her back but brushed off her concerned eyes. “I’m fine, love.”

“Come on, let’s get you two home.”

Dana gave him her address, grateful that she lived so close to the airport. She was eager to get Stella in the house and in bed, though she’d settle for just having the blonde seated with a glass of water nearby.

Upon arrival at her house, Dana gave Mulder the keys and kept a careful eye on Stella as they made their way to the door. Once inside, Mulder insisted on retrieving their luggage from the car.

Dana was thankful to have a moment alone with Stella. “Tell me what’s wrong?”

“I feel sick.” Stella told her, running her hand over her face. “I’m too hot and sometimes my voice sounds far away.”

Dana frowned in concern. “Come sit down. Take your jacket off and sit on the couch. I’ll bring you something to eat and some tea. Don’t try to get up on your own. I know you don’t like accepting help, but I don’t think you want to pass out cold on the floor either.”

“Not particularly.” Stella agreed as she allowed Dana to help her to the couch. “It’s not a panic attack. It feels more physical than they usually do.”

“Just stay there. If you feel like you’re going to pass out, just shout for me.” Dana instructed as Mulder left their cases by the door and hovered awkwardly in the hallway.

Stella only nodded as she heard Dana start to move around the kitchen. She put a hand to her forehead and twisted to lie down on the couch in an attempt to stop the unsteady feeling in her head. Staring at the ceiling, she could vaguely hear Dana and Mulder talking in the kitchen.

When the noise stopped, Dana appeared in front of her holding a plate and a steaming mug. She set them on the coffee table while Mulder lingered in the doorway in an attempt to afford her some privacy.

“Think you can sit up?”

Stella nodded and accepted Dana’s hand, slowly pulling herself back into a sitting position. She felt better having been horizontal for close to ten minutes while Dana cooked.

She was glad when the tea seemed to help and though she understood why Dana had added so much sugar, it was sickeningly sweet. By the time Dana and Mulder joined her with their own food she was starting to feel better.

“So Scully tells me you’re in law enforcement?” Mulder asked, once their food was gone.

“I am.” Stella nodded, relieved when her voice no longer seemed detached from herself. “I’m with the Metropolitan Police.”

“What’s that like in comparison to American cops?”

Stella thought. She had never spent any time in the company of American law enforcement. Unless she counted Dana. “Well I’ve never worked in the States, so I can’t say for sure. But only select divisions are armed here. And generally we don’t have a set partner. It rotates depending on your shift but I think it varies from force to force. I believe Belfast is probably closer to American policing. I was armed when I was working there and the PCs and DCs all had a partner that they seemed to work with regularly.”

“You don’t have a partner?”

“I’m rarely in the field anymore.” Stella admitted. “Occasionally I’ll visit a crime scene but my cases are now usually reviewing other officers’ cases that seem to be stalling to try to figure out why, or leading an major crimes investigation.”

Mulder processed the information and looked between the two of them. “How’d you two meet, anyway?”

Dana’s eyes found Stella’s, handing her the reins for this particular question. Stella took a deep breath. “I recently suffered some broken ribs, she found me in a park struggling to breathe because of the cold. Came to my rescue.”

Stella had no doubt that at one point or another, Dana would eventually tell Mulder the whole story so she saw no point in lying about it. Instead she simply omitted a handful of the smaller details.

“Doctor Scully, the hero.” Mulder joked.

Stella chuckled politely before excusing herself. She stood on unsteady legs and made for the stairs. Dana watched her go with a doctor’s eye, ready to jump up should Stella lose consciousness.

“She okay?” Mulder asked quietly once they heard a door close upstairs.

Scully sighed. “I don’t think so. She nearly passed out when we got in the house, I’m sure she was close in the airport, too. She’s had a hell of a few weeks so it could just be stress. But she’s fiercely independent so I doubt she’ll say anything if she needs help.”

Mulder nodded and was about to speak again when they heard the flush of a toilet followed by a heavy thud on the floor. Scully was on her feet and sprinting up the stairs before he could process what had happened. He checked for his phone in his pocket as he stood from the couch, noticing that both Scully and Stella’s were on the coffee table.

When he arrived at the top of the stairs, he found Scully crouched in the doorway of the bathroom, hovering over Stella who was propped against the bath with her head in Scully’s hands.

“Can I do anything?”

Scully thought for a moment. “Help me get her to bed?”

Mulder nodded and moved to Stella’s side, glad to see that while she seemed a little out of it, she was conscious.

“Be careful, she has broken ribs and a broken cheekbone.” Dana told him as he carefully took her girlfriend in his arms and stood.

Dana led him to the bedroom and pulled back the covers to allow him to place Stella carefully on one side. It wasn’t until Stella was safely horizontal once more that Dana looked around and noted the mess.

They hadn’t tidied up before they left for Belfast and it was only now she noticed the piles of hers and Stella’s clothing strewn over the floor, making it painfully obvious what they’d been doing the last time they’d been in the room.

She guided Mulder out into the hallway but didn’t shut the door just in case. He frowned in concern once they were alone. “What happened? She okay?”

Scully shook her head. “She was passed out when I got there. Her pulse is strong enough, I’ve got a blood pressure cuff here somewhere so I’ll check that soon. If it happens again I’m gonna take her to the hospital. It’s not like her to be so out of it.”

Mulder nodded and pulled her into a hug. “Take care of yourself, Scully. And pass my wishes onto Stella, I hope she’s okay. Call me sometime. I’ll come visit again soon.”

“I’d like that.” Scully smiled sadly. “Thank you for today. I’m sorry it couldn’t be longer.”

“Don’t be.” Mulder shrugged. “I didn’t tell you I was coming and Stella is obviously unwell, it’s not your fault.”

With that he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before he saw himself out.

Dana stayed in the hallway, lingering at the top of the stairs until she heard his rental car leave. When he was gone, she moved back into the bedroom and sat down beside Stella, running her fingers through her clammy blonde hair.


	14. Chapter 14

Dana looked over Stella in concern. It had been a week since they returned from Belfast, a week since Stella had passed out cold on her bathroom floor. She’d been relieved when the blonde had seemed to feel better by the time dinner came around, but it had unnerved her and she’d been keeping a close eye on her girlfriend whenever possible ever since.

Stella hadn’t fainted again but Dana had noticed a number of occasions on which the blonde seemed unsteady on her feet, or her skin had paled more than usual. She’d almost caused an argument halfway through the week when she had tried to insist that Stella saw a doctor. It hadn’t worked, instead the blonde had argued that she felt perfectly fine most of the time and promptly gone to the pool.

The blonde had reluctantly agreed to let Dana drive her to and from work, even more reluctantly informed Chris of her dizzy spells after he’d caught her sitting on the floor of her office leaning against the wall four feet from her desk. He’d immediately informed her that on the days Dana wasn’t able, he would drive her to and from work. It would do nobody any good if she took unwell behind the wheel of her car and got in an accident.

Now, Dana sat in Stella’s living room staring at her girlfriend as she lay on the couch to fend off another spell of nausea and dizziness.

“I know you think you’re fine but if this happens again I either call an ambulance or you let me take you to the hospital. It isn’t normal to almost faint at least once daily for a week straight. Not if you don’t have a history of it.”

Stella sighed. She knew Dana was right. “I’m fine, Dana.”

Dana sighed back at her and lifted her notepad and pen from the coffee table. She flipped to the back page, knowing it would be empty. “Tell me your symptoms.”

Stella groaned and rolled onto her side to look at Dana across the room, there was no way to get out of this. “I get unsteady on my feet, voices sound far away, I feel like I’m going to vomit, but I never actually do. My head and neck get very hot and clammy and I sweat, even if I’m not actually hot. You and Chris keep telling me I go pale. I’m tired all the time. I feel bloated and I pee all the time. But the peeing is likely because I’ve been drinking more water.”

Dana made notes and looked at the list, there were a number of causes. “Have your eating habits changed?”

Stella shook her head. She may have been on a soft diet but she’d made sure that she was getting the nourishment she needed.

“I know you’ve been under a lot of stress, when was your last period?” Dana was surprised when the blonde didn’t roll her eyes and brush off the question.

“Just before I was sent to Belfast.”

The redhead bit her lip. There was one cause that was easy enough to rule out without seeing a doctor. Convincing the blonde would be the difficult part. “Stella, is there any chance you could be pregnant?”

Stella propped herself up on an arm and gave her girlfriend an incredulous look. “You can’t be serious.”

Dana shrugged. “You’re nauseated, you get dizzy, you’re tired, you’re bloated and you haven’t had a period in almost three months. During which time you’ve slept with men, you aren’t on birth control, and condoms are not always one hundred percent effective. It’s only a possibility. It’s easy to rule out, and from there we can look at other causes.”

Stella’s stomach dropped at the realisation that Dana was right. She nodded in response and barely listened as the redhead announced she was going to the shops.

The quiet was blissful when she was alone. She loved Dana’s company but she was so tired and all she wanted to do was go for a nap before her girlfriend had to leave for work.

Stella woke with a start when Dana appeared in front of her holding a carrier bag. She looked up at her girlfriend’s face and smiled softly.

Dana held the bag out to her. “I got a selection of pregnancy tests so you can be sure. I also got you some iron tablets and some vitamins because regardless of what the tests say, they could be of some help. You don’t have to take them now; you can wait until I’m at work.”

Stella breathed a sigh of relief. She was beyond grateful to Dana for her thoughtfulness, knowing the redhead would likely feel better if she was there to support her. She gave her a quiet thank you and checked the time on her phone.

“You’re gonna be late if you don’t leave now Love.”

Dana sighed and pulled Stella in for a quick hug. “Call me if you’re not well or if you need anything. Promise me.

Stella promised and heaved in a sigh as she watched Dana leave. The bag was heavy in her hand and she bit her lip before heading upstairs to the bathroom. There was no point in putting off the inevitable and she knew that postponing the tests wouldn’t change the result, it would only serve to make her anxious.

She emptied the contents of the bag onto the small counter her bathroom and carefully read the instructions on each of the boxes. Not that she believed there was a wrong way to pee on a stick but she wanted to be sure.

The following five minutes were the longest of her life. At least that’s what it felt like. She almost jumped out of her skin when the timer she’d set on her phone rang. She silenced it quickly and steeled herself before she moved to the sink that currently housed the plastic sticks. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she looked down.

Stella was sure her throat closed as she looked at the display on each stick. Five different variations of the same result. Positive. Every fucking one.

She was surprised by the sob that came from her chest as she dropped onto the edge of the bath. Her mind was spinning. She hadn’t suspected for a second that she could be pregnant. Even after Dana had suggested it, she’d naively assumed that the tests would be negative.

It was barely eight thirty at night but Stella found herself curled up in bed, praying that in sleep she could ignore the results for the time being. She knew she would have to acknowledge the results eventually, likely at some point in the morning when Dana had finished work. But for now she was content to let her exhausted body succumb to the sleep it craved.

~X~

Dana was itching to check her phone for what felt like the millionth time since her shift began. She’d sent Stella a message at nine PM that had not only gone unanswered, but unread. She couldn’t help the worried voice that plagued her, wondering if Stella was lying unconscious on the floor somewhere.

Instead of allowing herself to go down that rabbit hole, she tried to reason with herself. Stella was independent and private. She liked to do things alone. It was to be expected that the blonde would withdraw when faced with something as daunting as an unplanned pregnancy. Especially given the circumstances.

Dana sighed as she dared to attempt to work out what it would mean for them and their very new relationship if Stella was pregnant. She loved the blonde and while she had yet to say it, she had admitted that she was falling in love with her, which was _almost_ the same thing in her mind. Regardless of how new their relationship was, she wanted to be there to provide love and support for the blonde if she’d allow it. What she didn’t want to happen was for Stella to pull away and try to manage alone when she didn’t have to.

For the rest of her shift, in between emergencies she tried not to let her mind drift to Stella. A small knot of worry had planted itself in her stomach ever since her second message had also been left unopened, and it was only growing with each passing hour.

It was a relief when eight AM finally came and she was able to change out of her scrubs and leave. She forced herself to go home, no matter how badly she wanted to go to Stella. The blonde would either be in bed or at work, and there was no guarantee that she would even want to see her.

~X~

It was almost two in the afternoon when Stella finally woke to the ringing of her phone. She groaned as she rolled over and grabbed it from the nightstand, softening when she saw Dana’s called ID.

“Hello?”

“Stella? Are you okay? Did I wake you?” Dana’s concerned voice echoed down the line and Stella felt a pang of guilt. “I thought you had a meeting today?”

“I called in sick.” Stella admitted. “I’m fine though, I just needed a break.”

“Can I come over?”

Stella sighed. Her automatic response was to say no, but if she was honest with herself, she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in her girlfriend’s arms. “Okay.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Dana’s voice was worried and Stella sighed, knowing that her lack of explanation had likely sent the redhead into a minor panic.

Stella was still sitting on her bed when the knock on the door came and she hurriedly dressed in a pair of leggings and a slightly too-big hoodie before grabbing a pair of thick fluffy socks as an afterthought. She threw her hair into a rough ponytail as she hurried downstairs, lest Dana panic even more and feel the need to break down her front door.

Dana’s hand was raised to knock again when Stella yanked the door open. The redhead’s jaw dropped when she took in Stella’s appearance. She looked like hell. Her skin was so pale it seemed white and her eyes were red despite the late hour she’d slept until.

“Stella…”

Stella hid her own surprise when she caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. “I know, I look like shit. But I actually feel better than I look.”

Dana said nothing and led Stella into the kitchen where she promptly began making tea, rifling through the cabinets for something to cook for Stella’s ‘breakfast’. She worked in silence as she gave Stella time to wake up properly. It wasn’t until they had finished their food that she spoke up.

“You called in sick.” Dana stated.

Stella nodded. Her first official day back at work wasn’t for another few days, but she’d had a meeting scheduled to discuss her upcoming assignments with her superior officer. Luckily, they’d known each other for years and while he’d been worried when she’d called, he hadn’t questioned it yet.

“I’m okay, Dana.” Stella tried to reassure her. “I’m exhausted, but I’m okay. I realised last night that I needed some proper sleep.”

Dana stared at her mug as she debated whether or not to ask the question. “Did you take the tests?”

Stella nodded and bit her lip when she felt her eyes burn with tears. “I’m pregnant.”

Dana’s surprise was pushed to the back of her mind when she watched Stella’s resolve crumple. She stood and moved to the blonde’s side, wrapping her in a comforting hug and cradling Stella’s head to her chest.

“I’m sorry.” Stella’s voice was husky as she pulled away.

Dana frowned. “What? What are you sorry for?”

Stella’s hands gripped her mug so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Dana’s heart melted when Stella looked up at her with watery eyes. She brushed a loose strand of the blonde’s hair behind her ear and waited for her to continue.

Stella took a shaky breath to compose herself before looking up at her girlfriend. “I don’t… I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I understand if this is too much for you…” Stella sighed sadly. “We’ve only known each other for two weeks.”

Dana was sure she felt her heart crack at the uncertainty Stella tried to hide when she spoke. “We can work it out. I promise. I’m not going anywhere, if you’ll let me, I want to be here for you, no matter what that entails.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with a baby?” Stella chuckled humourlessly as she shook her head and raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Really…”

Dana shook her head and brought her hands to cover Stella’s. “You have time. One step at a time. I love you, and you don’t have to do this alone.”

Stella’s eyes found Dana’s again, her heart pounding in her chest. “You love me?”

She could see the panic in Dana’s face, worrying that she’d said too much at an inappropriate time.

It was Dana’s turn to take a deep breath. “I do. But I know you’re not quite ready to say it back yet, especially now. And it’s okay. You don’t have to, not until you feel it’s the right time.”

Stella let out a tiny breath of relief. Her eyes searched Dana’s and she gave her a small smile. “Let me take you out for a birthday dinner? If you don’t have plans that is.”

Truthfully, Dana hadn’t even thought about her birthday at the end of the week. With Stella’s health constantly on her mind and a week of covering nightshifts in Accident and Emergency for a sick colleague, she hadn’t even realised the date was approaching.

“Of course, but only if you’re feeling up to it. If you’re sick, or tired, or you’re still getting dizzy, I’ll be just as happy to stay in and order a takeaway.” Dana answered.

Stella agreed and stood to deposit her empty mug by the sink. She’d clear up later, right now she wanted to curl up on the couch with Dana, even if she was liable to fall asleep again.

Dana noticed the droop of Stella’s eyelids almost as soon as they settled on the couch with a blanket. “Did you actually sleep at all last night?”

Stella hummed in response. “I went straight to bed after taking the tests, it was around half past eight. I slept until about two in the morning then woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I nearly called you but I didn’t want to worry you. I called Chris around eight and then fell back asleep almost as soon as I got off the phone. I was out until you called.”

Dana sighed, she knew Stella needed the sleep and was glad she’d managed to get some rest. She slept better when they were together and she hoped the same was true for Stella. The blonde never woke from a nightmare when they shared a bed, she knew the same wasn’t true on the nights she was at the hospital. She’d often find a message from Stella at an obscene hour, usually under the guise of checking in, but she knew better.

She also knew the thought of returning to work was playing on Stella’s mind. A mix of doubts stemming from the Spector case mixed with the concerns about her wellbeing that she tried to hide kept Stella in a constant state of anxiety, and she deemed it a miracle that she hadn’t reached the point of sheer panic yet.

Dana only hoped that the discovery that she was pregnant wouldn’t send Stella into a downward spiral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I feel like this is where I could lose some of you... let me know what you think and be honest. I've written quite far ahead, but I'm always open to criticism :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to everyone for their comments on the last chapter!  
> They mean so much to me!

Stella realised too late that she regretted not bringing Dana to her appointment. Her head was spinning as she sat in the waiting room staring at the posters plastered all over the walls, each one proudly displaying a woman’s large baby bump, babies of varying ages, a baby being breastfed, do’s and don’ts regarding pregnancy.

Her hands trembled as she tried not to look at the walls, or at the other occupants. She was surrounded by women in varying stages of pregnancy and a few couples carrying their precious newborns in heavy car seats, lugging a large changing bag over one shoulder. If not for the generous size of the room she was sure she’d feel like she was suffocating.

As it was, she wasn’t particularly comfortable. She felt out of place. Most of the women in the room, save for maybe one, were younger than her. In the prime of their life and eager to be starting their family. Or at least so it seemed. And every one of them had company, be it a partner or a mother. She’d never felt more alone.

Within a few minutes, a handful of the other occupants were called by nurses and Stella cursed herself for arriving early, or at least not waiting in the car for longer. She almost jumped out of her skin when an older woman took a seat next to her, she tore her gaze from the floor and realised that aside for one abandoned man on the other side of the room, they were alone.

“Do excuse me if I’m overstepping, and feel free to tell me to leave. But I couldn’t help noticing you look a little petrified.” The woman said softly. “My name is Helen.”

“Stella.”

“Pleased to meet you, Stella.” Helen smiled kindly, it put Stella at ease. “Is this your first?”

Stella nodded. “Is it that obvious?”

Helen shook her head. “Don’t worry. Are you here alone?”

Stella nodded again. “My partner is working.”

“You’ll be okay, Stella. Everyone is a little bit terrified in this situation, even when they’ve planned it meticulously. You’re strong enough to get through this, but it’s okay to feel a little weak sometimes.”

Stella felt her stomach drop when she heard her name called. As she stood she turned to look at the grey-haired woman in the seat beside hers, suddenly feeling more confident. “Thank you.”

She silently followed the nurse to the doctor’s office. Once seated, she was grateful for the doctor’s kind but no-nonsense manner. She bit her lip nervously when the woman asked if she had any concerns before they performed the ultrasound.

Stella took a deep breath and tried to detach herself from the situation, speaking as though talking to a pathologist at work. “I was attacked at work just over two weeks ago, I ended up with some badly broken ribs and was prescribed tramadol for the pain, I was taking two tablets a night for the first week or so, followed by one per night until the night I took the tests. I was out with colleagues just over a week ago and had a few drinks, before I was attacked I’d have a drink or two with dinner some nights. I’ve been under a lot of stress for the last few months which has led to a few panic attacks…” Stella faltered for a moment, scared the doctor was already judging her for her choices without her next statement. “I’m also not entirely sure who the father is. I only had unprotected sex on two occasions, around a month apart but I didn’t have a period in between times.”

The doctor simply nodded and Stella listened carefully as she addressed the concerns regarding the attack, the painkillers and the alcohol.

“Regarding the paternity of your baby. If it’s something you wish to know, it’s simple enough to determine once the baby is born. It is possible to test during pregnancy at the same time as a procedure to test for genetic disorders, however the process is invasive and does carry a small risk, so unless you’re desperate, or you would like the genetic test performed, I would recommend waiting until after birth.” The doctor explained. “If I had to guess - and this is by no means a solid answer – but if I had to guess, given that your last period was around two weeks before man number one, and there has been no cycle since, I’d say he’s the more likely to be the father. We might be able to get a more accurate idea during the ultrasound.”

Stella sighed and nodded, praying the doctor was right. She wasn’t sure if it made her a bad person that she hoped her child’s father was the man who had been shot dead less than twenty four hours after they’d slept together. She just couldn’t fathom having to explain to Tom Anderson that she was carrying his child. The thought of being linked to him for the rest of her life wasn’t one she wanted to entertain.

She was broken from her thoughts by the doctor telling her to lie back on the table as she wheeled over the ultrasound machine. She almost felt numb, her eyes tightly closed as the doctor moved the wand over her lower abdomen.

“Would you like to hear the heartbeat?”

Stella found herself nodding and pried her eyes open as the fast thump of her baby’s heart filled the room. Her eyes burned and tears spilled over as she turned her head to finally look at the screen. The doctor pointed to the screen, explaining where her baby was.

“Everything looks good, from the size of the baby I’d say you’re already around twelve weeks, which points to guy number one being the father.”

Stella sat up and fixed her clothes as she listened to the doctor give her the information she needed along with a plethora of leaflets. As she thanked the woman and left the office, Stella had to stop herself from pulling the ultrasound printouts from her pocket just to stare at them.

~X~

Dana fought to keep her leg from bouncing anxiously. She was waiting for Stella at their table in the restaurant they’d decided on for her early birthday dinner. It wasn’t a big deal to her that she was working on her birthday but Stella had been dismayed, wanting to treat her on the day.

She smiled happily when she saw the blonde approaching, dressed in a strapless, wide leg jumpsuit, a long blazer over the top and heels on her feet. It wasn’t the swipe of eyeliner or the barely noticeable false lashes that brought Dana’s attention to Stella’s eyes, it was the way they sparkled with excitement as she leaned over to press a soft kiss to her girlfriend’s lips before she sat down.

“You look amazing.” Dana greeted.

“So do you.” Stella countered.

“That was the plan.” Dana countered. She’d spent all afternoon trying to pick out the perfect outfit, eventually settling on a black long-sleeved dress with a swishy skirt that ended at her knees. She’d paired it with black heels and a warm jacket for the evening.

“I have a couple of things for you.” Stella announced as she produced an envelope from nowhere. “Technically, right now, this is all I have. The other isn’t here yet.”

Dana brushed off Stella’s apologetic tone as she opened the envelope. She smiled when she pulled out a pretty birthday card with a handwritten note from Stella stuck to the front.

_This is for you. Thank you for all you do for us, I love you._

Dana gasped when she opened the card and her eyes immediately fell to the black and white image tucked inside. She clasped a hand to her mouth as the other lifted the ultrasound picture. She sniffed back a sob and brought her napkin to her eyes in an attempt to save her makeup.

Stella smiled when Dana beamed across the table at her. “I love you, Dana.”

“I love you too, Stella.” She frowned when she saw the blonde look past her head and smile brightly. “What?”

“Your other gift is here.”

Dana’s confusion only increased as she turned to follow Stella’s gaze. She almost let out a sob when she saw Mulder moving through the restaurant towards their table, dressed for the occasion. Her head whipped between the two of them, trying to process that Mulder was already back in London.

“What-” It was all she could get out as her mind rushed to take in the fact that Mulder was now hugging her.

Mulder pulled back and smiled at them both. “Stella called a few days ago. She wanted to make up for cutting my last visit short.”

“Stella…”

Stella cut her off. “I know, you’ve already told me a million times not to apologise to you. But I know how excited you were to see him and I felt terrible when I thought about what happened. I wasn’t sure what to actually get you for your birthday, so I thought this might be a better idea.”

Dana nodded and dapped at her eyes again. “You’ve set the bar high, Gibson. How the hell am I gonna top this come August?”

Stella’s heart swelled at the thought of spending her birthday with Dana. It wasn’t a day she had ever seen the need to celebrate, but maybe this year would be different. “I don’t know. By that point, maybe just a foot rub, some help off the couch, and a willingness to drop everything and get in the car when needed?”

Dana bit her lip to keep from spilling the news to Mulder, but grinned at Stella as she did the math and realised that come Stella’s birthday she would either be nine months pregnant or she’d have a newborn.

Mulder frowned in confusion at Stella’s answer but said nothing. When the waiter arrived to take a drinks order from them he ordered a beer, turning just in time to catch the end of Scully and Stella’s conversation.

“You can’t drink.”

“I don’t care. It’s your birthday love.” Stella said firmly before turning to the waiter. “She’ll have a large Merlot, and can I have a lemonade please?”

Mulder said nothing but tucked the information away for later. Stella didn’t seem like the type of woman to avoid having a glass of wine with dinner, especially not in the kind of restaurant they were currently sitting in.

Stella looked between the two in front of her, she could feel the curiosity rolling off of Mulder in waves and Dana was almost bursting with excitement. “You can tell him.”

Dana’s eyebrows shot up, suddenly reluctant to share their secret with anyone. “Stella…”

“If you won’t, I will.”

Dana nodded and Stella was surprised at the silent request that she be the one to explain.

“The reason I fainted last time you were here is because I’m pregnant.”

Mulder’s jaw dropped before a look of true confusion crossed his face and he looked between them. Stella knew that after his return to America, Dana had told him almost everything about their relationship, excluding the panic attacks.

“It’s a long story featuring a lapse in judgement on my part in regard to a colleague.” Stella offered, knowing that he wouldn’t push the subject. She smiled gracefully and accepted his congratulations as the waiter brought their drinks and prepared to take their order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I like this one anymore but let me know what you think anyway :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I should take a break from the mental breakdown over a college assessment and post this before going on to start the second one...  
> Whether that's the second assessment or breakdown remains to be seen...

Stella sighed in relief as she dropped onto the couch. Her first day back at work had been uneventful, incredibly long, and extremely boring. She’d spent the morning in meetings with her superiors to discuss Belfast briefly and then catch up on what she had missed in her absence.

The afternoon had been spent wading through the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk and trying not to vomit when someone passed her office with a particularly pungent takeaway for lunch.

She’d almost caused an argument with Dana over whether or not she should tell her superiors of her pregnancy straight away. Dana had tried to convince her that it would be better in the long run, they could make more accommodations, allow for the sickness she was starting to suffer, and generally offer more support. If they didn’t know, they’d expect business as usual, and while she knew that was what Stella wanted, she wasn’t sure it was what the blonde was capable of at that moment.

Stella on the other hand had been adamant that it wasn’t a good idea. Not only had she fucked up in Belfast, but she’d caused a scene with Burns and then called in sick for her first meeting in months with a vague explanation. She was sure that informing them of her pregnancy now would only result in her spending the next six months parked behind a desk doing other officers’ paperwork instead of being able to sink her teeth into an investigation, or at least a review.

She knew it was only a matter of time before she’d be left with no choice but to tell them be it because she could no longer keep up with the work or because she got too big to hide it any longer, but so long as she could hide it, she would.

Her phone broke the silence and her relief was short-lived when she saw that despite it being her personal phone, the caller ID showed the name Chris George.

“Gibson.”

_“Stella, have you got a minute?”_

“You’re aware that this is my personal phone, not my work one?” Stella groaned as she pushed herself upright and sat on the couch properly.

“ _It’s a personal call.”_ Chris told her. _“I’m outside, can I come in?”_

Stella frowned in confusion as she hung up on him and moved to the front door. She pulled it open to see her friend turned boss leaning against her car holding two large pizza boxes. With a small smile she nodded for him to follow her in, letting the door swing closed behind him.

She kicked off her heels and shrugged off her jacket as he moved past her into the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. He gestured towards the pizza he’d brought for her as he took a slice of his own and she felt her stomach churn at the thought.

His eyes were on her as she unzipped the back of her skirt before she sat down, letting out a small sigh of relief as she did. He watched her stare down the pizza before she finally picked up a slice and nibbled at the end of it.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the visit. But the last time you did this it was because your marriage had ended and you needed somewhere to stay.” Stella said, looking over him in an attempt to get a read on him.

Chris shook his head. “Nothing like that. I just wanted to check in. I know Belfast will have had more of an impact that you’ll let on, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay. You were… off… today at work. Not quite yourself. And I love you but behind the hair and makeup, you look like shit.” Chris told her, his eyes betraying his concern. “If you need more time, Stella, it’s not an issue.”

Stella sighed, thankful for an excuse to drop the pizza back into the box. “I’m fine, Chris. I’ve been to see my therapist, the injuries are healing, you can’t even see the bruises on my face anymore.”

She saw his face and knew he wasn’t convinced. Really, she didn’t want to tell him the truth, ever since Dana’s birthday she had been doing her best to ignore her pregnancy. She had stopped drinking coffee and read the leaflets the doctor had given her, but telling people made it real. She’d told Mulder because she’d loved how happy Dana had been, and it wasn’t like he knew anyone in London, or would be able to spread rumours about her. Chris wasn’t the type to fuel the fire with gossip either, and she trusted him but he was still her superior officer.

If her suspicions were correct, she was going to start showing sooner rather than later, and there was only so much strategic dressing could hide, especially with the weather due to start heating up soon. Some of her skirts were already too tight to be comfortable, like the one she was wearing today. For now though, she was grateful that it just looked like she was gaining weight, there was no perfectly rounded bump just yet.

“Stella just tell me.”

She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. “I got pregnant in Belfast.”

“Oh.” Chris’ face was blank. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Stella gave a humourless laugh.

“You okay?”

She nodded. “I haven’t really been thinking about it to be honest. I found out a week ago.”

Chris sighed. “How pregnant are you exactly?”

“Thirteen weeks. The father, I believe, is the DS who was shot dead less than twenty four hours after he left my hotel room.”

Chris looked her over, wondering how she was feeling about the situation as a whole. He only realised he’d thought out loud when she gave him an answer.

“I’m not sure. I’m not happy, but I’m not unhappy either. It’s going to be an adjustment. I never thought of myself as a mother. I’ll come round to it once I’ve managed to wrap my head around the fact that I’m growing a child. I want it, there’s no question about whether or not I’m keeping it, it’s just a lot to take in right now.”

Chris scooted over to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You know where I am if you need anything. I won’t say anything to anyone at work right now, so long as you’re sensible. You have enough on your plate without overworking yourself, too.”

She relaxed as she thanked him. He offered to get rid of the pizza when he noticed she hadn’t touched it but she took her head. “Just put it in the fridge, Dana can have it when she finishes work.”

Stella froze as she realised what she had said. She hadn’t told anyone about Dana yet, save for those who had met her in Belfast. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep their relationship hidden, she just hadn’t had the opportunity.

“Who’s Dana?” Chris grinned and raised an eyebrow at her.

“My girlfriend.” Stella smiled with an insincere groan, waiting for the interrogation to start, the only saving grace was that he meant well.

“Tell me about her.”

Stella was surprised that he hadn’t immediately fired a barrage of questions at her. “She’s about my height, red hair, she’s American, used to work for the FBI but she’s a doctor. Little older than me but not by much. It was her birthday last week.”

“How long has this been going on? How did you two meet?”

Stella sighed, unsure of how Chris would react to how fast she and Dana had moved in such a short space of time. “We met the same day I got back from Belfast. Well, late that night. I went for a walk and had a panic attack, I couldn’t catch my breath because of my ribs. She was out for a run and helped me. We’ve spent near enough every day together since. She came back to Belfast with me, too.”

“I’ll bet that gave them whiplash.” Chris chuckled, bringing a smile to her face.

“That’s what Dana said too.”

“Is she living here?”

Stella shook her head. “No, just spending the night. Her… friend from the States is visiting so I let them have their time together. She was working today so she said she’d come over when she was finished. She’ll have the pizza, it won’t go to waste.”

“Just be careful. The fact that you’re so happy, that you’ve let her in and let her help you shows how much you trust her and how much she means to you already, but two weeks isn’t a long time. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She gave his arm a squeeze in thanks. She wasn’t about to tell him that Dana had just spent the past four days with her ex, even if it was complicated. And she certainly wasn’t about to tell him that at times when Dana was working and she was left alone at night, she’d lie in bed and wonder what their future held, whether the redhead would still be around by the time the baby was born, if she’d have a part in the baby’s life. What would their lives look like by the time August came. If she was honest with herself, she was praying that Dana would want to stay, help her with the baby and they’d live happily ever after. In her mind that sounded incredibly naïve and cliché so she said nothing to anyone.

Their silence was broken by the ringing of Stella’s phone again and Chris took the untouched pizza to the kitchen to give her privacy. She beamed when she saw Dana’s caller ID.

“I was just talking about you.”

~X~

Dana watched as Stella stood in the middle of a pile of clothes in her bedroom. The blonde’s tiny baby bump had popped over the weekend without warning and while her casual clothes allowed for her growing waistline, her work clothes did not. So now come Monday morning, Stella was slowly growing more and more infuriated as she tried to find something that didn’t cut into her stomach painfully as soon as she fastened the zip. She was cursing herself for her tailored style, knowing that wearing an untucked blouse would raise more questions than if she just revealed her pregnancy.

Sensing Stella was getting close to throwing a fit, Dana stood and moved to her side, browsing the clothes that remained on the rail in front of them. She pulled out two pairs of black trousers she’d seen Stella wear to work, along with a soft grey wrap jumper. She hunted for a moment longer and pulled out a black blazer that would match the trousers.

“Here. Try the pants on, choose the pair that’s least uncomfortable. Get dressed but don’t bother closing the pants.”

Stella took the clothes wordlessly and pulled on the jumper before trying on the trousers. She kept the second pair on and turned back to her girlfriend. She watched as Dana zipped the trousers as high as they would comfortably go before looping a small hair tie through the hole on the zip and fastening it around the button before producing a second hair tie and looping it through the button hole and also securing it on the button.

“The first will keep the zip up, stop you from flashing people all day. The second will keep the pants closed but it gives them a little more stretch and stops it from cutting into your belly.” Dana explained with a soft sigh as she rested her hands on Stella’s hips. “The jumper doesn’t need tucked in so it’ll hide the hair ties and the blazer will make it harder to see your stomach. Little trick I learned when I was in a similar position.”

Stella’s head snapped up to look at Dana’s face, unable to hide her confusion. Dana simply gave her hips a squeeze and a small smile in response. “Later. I promise. Are we still good for dinner tonight?”

Stella’s mind was still stuck on the sliver of information Dana had revealed but she nodded. “I’ll call you when I’m leaving work.”

“Have a good day.” Dana placed a kiss on Stella’s lips before she watched the blonde leave for work. She sighed as she gathered her belongings to head back to her own place.

~X~

Stella’s mind was stuck on Dana’s comment all day. It had been six weeks since they met and slowly they’d been revealing more of themselves to each other, going a little deeper each time, touching on painful pasts and laughing hysterically at memories. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions but she was an investigator, it was what she did, and if she was correct then Dana had at some point in her past been pregnant.

It had been four weeks since Stella found out she was pregnant and once she’d told Chris and started to accept the fact, she and Dana had talked about it frequently. They’d joked about terrible baby names, mused over which room Stella would turn into the nursery and how she would decorate it, debated on whether or not to find out the baby’s gender…

She couldn’t help but feel a small pang of hurt at the thought that Dana had never told her the truth. The logical side of her pointed out that technically, Dana had not lied. She knew Dana had no children and she realised that whatever the outcome of the pregnancy, it had likely caused her girlfriend a great deal of pain. She kicked herself for her selfishness and sighed.

It was almost five and she was sure she could slip out early without an issue. She’d gotten next to nothing done all day anyway, it wasn’t like an hour was going to make any difference.

She texted Chris on her work phone on her way out, her personal phone jammed between her ear and her shoulder, calling Dana. The redhead’s voice sounded surprised when she answered the phone.

“Hey. I was thinking about you and decided to leave early today. I’m not getting much done anyway. Can I come straight over or are you busy?”

“Uh, no. You can come over now. I was just clearing out some of my old things. I’ve been meaning to do it forever and today seemed as good a day as any.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Do you need me to bring anything?”

By the time Stella reached her car, she had already decided to ignore Dana’s request for her just to bring herself. She sounded sad on the phone despite her attempts to hide it and though she had a feeling there wasn’t much she could do to cheer her girlfriend up, Stella stopped at a bakery not far from Dana’s house and picked up a homemade chocolate cake.

~X~

Dana sighed in relief when she stepped out of the shower to find that Stella still hadn’t arrived. She’d spent longer than intended basking in the hot water and when she realised the time, had panicked that Stella would be stuck waiting outside in her car.

She wasn’t sure what was taking the blonde so long but for now she wasn’t going to question it. She picked her way through the obstacle course of boxes her bedroom had become and pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on before grabbing a cardigan and a pair of slippers. Just as she finished towel drying her hair, there was a knock on her front door.

When her eyes fell on Stella holding the cake she realised why the blonde was later than expected. “Come on in.”

“I wasn’t sure what you had planned for dinner, but I thought this could be good for after? You sounded sad on the phone.”

Dana sighed. Of course Stella had picked up on it. She’d been foolish to hope otherwise. She watched Stella place the cake box on the kitchen counter and hesitate for a moment before making two cups of tea. When she turned around, she held one out to Dana and nodded through to the living room.

Dana was grateful for Stella taking the lead. She didn’t know how to begin so she simply followed Stella to the couch and settled in.

Stella sat cross-legged on one end of the couch facing Dana as she sat across from her. She reached over and put a soft hand on Dana’s knee. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Dana shook her head. She wanted to. Mulder had been trying to convince her to tell Stella for the best part of three and a half weeks, ever since he returned to America after his visit for her birthday.

“I had a baby.” Dana started, appreciative of the tea to focus her attention on. “Back in 2001. Until then as far as I knew, I couldn’t have children. I tried IVF but it didn’t take. I found out I was pregnant in hospital, the same day Mulder disappeared. It was tough. Mulder was dead, we had a funeral and I buried him without ever getting the chance to tell him I was having his baby. But then a couple months before my son was born, Mulder turned up, in critical condition but alive. It turned my world upside down. I gave birth in an abandoned farmhouse, surrounded by people who were after my baby, with only another FBI agent for help. Mulder barely met him, then he had to go on the run…

“Monica helped me out a lot. But he wasn’t safe.” Dana swallowed the lump in her throat, still staring at a spot on the floor, unable to see the tears also welling in Stella’s eyes. “I raised him until he was nine months old, but I couldn’t keep him safe. I tried, but I couldn’t. I gave him up.”

Stella abandoned her tea and moved across the couch to pull Dana into a comforting hug, allowing the redhead to cry for her son. She knew there was nothing she could say to make Dana feel better so she simply held her close.

When Dana pulled away, she wiped her eyes and finally braved a look at Stella. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. It’s still not the full story, but it’s the important parts.”

Stella shook her head softly. “Thank you for telling me. You did what you thought was best. You’re a good person, Dana. You’re a good mother.”

Dana said nothing but let her head fall against Stella’s chest again. They sat in silence until it was beginning to get dark outside and Stella had lost feeling in the foot tucked under her.

“I found a few of his things when I was tidying earlier. That’s why I was sad on the phone.” Dana admitted as she and Stella perused a takeaway menu on her phone. “My bedroom floor is still covered in boxes. Once I found them I couldn’t stop looking at them and I didn’t even realise the time until you called.”

“I’ll help you.” Stella told her and placed a kiss to her hair. Dana had been her rock over the past month and a half, she wanted to do the same for her


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter one but after like 10 hours of college work yesterday and a handful more today I'm glad because I don't think I'd have it in me to edit anything longer :D

Stella sighed happily as she strolled through the park hand in hand with Dana. She loved spring, the evenings were lighter, the weather was improving, there were flowers everywhere, and it was the end of a dreary winter. They’d had the perfect day so far. Dana had bribed her with breakfast in her favourite café to convince her to finally go maternity shopping, at least for work clothes.

It had been a successful trip and Stella had almost melted when she saw how tiny newborn clothing was. Her own reaction had surprised her but Dana had been quick to blame it on the hormones and unbeknownst to Stella, had slipped away to purchase few tiny sleepsuits.

The mid-pregnancy ultrasound was tomorrow and they still hadn’t decided whether or not to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl. Dana was adamant that it was Stella’s decision, it was her baby after all. But Stella insisted that she wanted Dana’s input. On everything, not just this decision.

Stella had finally decided on which room to turn into the nursery and had tasked Dana with putting together a list of things that were essential, things that would be helpful, and steering her away from things that she would buy and use only once.

“I think you should find out.” Dana broke their comfortable silence and turned her head to look at Stella. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. But I know you like to be prepared.”

“Okay.” Stella smiled. She’d had an idea that Dana was almost desperate to know what the baby would be. “We can find out.”

Dana’s heart felt like it might burst every time Stella said ‘we’ when talking about the baby. Sometimes she had to pinch herself to remind herself that while the baby wasn’t hers.

“I was thinking.” Stella began. “I want the nursery done before I get too big and uncomfortable, so maybe we should start soon. If you want to, of course, I can do it on my own if you’d rather.”

Dana shook her head and gave Stella’s hand a squeeze, dragging her to a nearby bench. “I’d love to help you, Stell. I just don’t want to overstep my mark here.”

It was Stella’s turn to shake her head. “You won’t. It’s not often I’ll admit I’m out of my depths, but the closer we get to August the more I feel like I can barely keep my head above water. I know it’s only just turned May, and we have until the end of August, but you’ve been like a life raft these past few weeks.” Stella smiled lightly. “I want and need your input. I know I’m capable of doing this on my own, but you’re here and I do want you to stay.”

Dana didn’t know what to say. “I love you, Stella. And I know it’s not really my place, but I love your baby, too.”

Stella looked at her incredulously. “Of course it’s your place, Love. You’re my family. Really, you’re all the family I’ve got and I want the baby to know what it’s like to grow up loved, like I did with my father. But I don’t want them to grow up thinking I’m the only person capable of loving them. Six months ago, if someone had told me I’d be five months pregnant on a park bench baring my soul to someone I’ve only known for three months; I’d have had them referred to a psychiatrist. But I can’t imagine my life without you now.”

Stella reached over and wiped a stray tear from Dana’s cheek, giving her a soft smile. “Never doubt your place, be that in my life or the baby’s.”

Dana took a deep breath to calm herself. It never failed to catch her off guard when Stella was the one to initiate the heart-to-heart conversations. It had been obvious from the first time they had coffee that she was a woman who felt things deeply and personally but chose to keep those feelings hidden behind a carefully constructed mask. Now, she felt privileged to be allowed to see behind the mask and to know Stella’s true feelings.

“I’ve been thinking too.” Realising that if they spoke of the baby or their relationship any longer, she would likely break down in tears in the busy park, Dana opted to change the subject. “I was thinking that maybe we should go away for a week, or even just a weekend sometime before the baby is born. Maybe sometime next month so you can actually enjoy it, too. Nothing extravagant, but we could both do with a break. You could always think of it as an early birthday getaway.”

Not once had going on a holiday of any kind crossed her mind, but now that Dana had mentioned it, it sounded like heaven. It wasn’t going to be long before her time was no longer her own and it would be nice to have some time to dedicate to spending it with Dana and relaxing before she was launched into a world of night feeds and nappy changes.

“That sounds amazing. Did you have anywhere in mind?”

“I didn’t get that far. I wasn’t sure you’d agree so I thought if you did we could look at ideas together.”

Stella spent the walk home trying to stop a ridiculous smile from making itself comfortable on her face. She was almost deliriously happy and a small part of her was petrified that something was going to come a long and shatter it, or pull the rug out from under her, but for now she pushed it to the back of her mind.

~X~

Dana woke up in the morning tangled in a pile of limbs with Stella. Her front was pressed softly against Stella’s, their faces barely an inch apart. The duvet had been kicked to the bottom of the bed, barely covering their feet and she let out a contented sigh when she realised she still had a little time before their alarm sounded.

She felt Stella begin to stir in her arms and brought one of her hands down to cradle the blonde’s rounded stomach. She hadn’t been prepared for just how much she would love watching Stella’s waistline expand as the weeks passed and she’d often had to stop herself from reaching out to touch her bump just for the sake of it.

Stella’s eyes fluttered open at the feeling of Dana’s thumb gently stoking her belly. “Good morning.”

“Hi.”

“I love it when you do that.”

Dana raised an eyebrow at Stella’s admission. “I have to stop myself sometimes because I remember that not everyone likes being touched without warning.”

“You get a free pass.” Stella answered as she rolled over to give Dana better access to the swell of her stomach. “You can touch me whenever and wherever you like.”

Dana laughed at the double meaning of Stella’s words. The alarm clock laughed with her as it disturbed their peace. “Well, sadly for both of us, that can’t be now. We have work.”

Stella groaned and pulled herself upright, letting her own hand fall to her bump to meet Dana’s. She was excited but apprehensive about the appointment that afternoon. Dana was working but had already informed her team that she would be unavailable around lunchtime. She couldn’t wait to see her baby again, she could feel the movement already, reassuring her that all was well.

Dana got dressed while Stella fixed her hair and sat down to watch as the blonde browsed her selection of new work clothes. There was a distinct lack of silk blouses which was disappointing but she’d made it her mission to find some online somewhere.

“How do I look?” Stella asked as she turned away from the mirror.

Dana took in the outfit, a pair of smart black trousers and a white vee neck blouse that had a small knot under her breasts and flowed loosely over her stomach. “You look fantastic. Stop worrying.”

The blonde sighed as she stepped into her heels. At the end of last week she’d finally met with Chris and their superior officer to officially inform them of her pregnancy. She was tired of hiding it and stressing over which outfits would or wouldn’t hide her stomach, so when Dana had suggested going shopping she had decided to get the announcement over with.

She’d been immensely glad when it had been decided that until she felt she couldn’t keep up, or her doctor advised otherwise, she was free to continue as she was.

“It’ll be fine.” Dana told her, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I promise. See you at lunchtime.”

“I can’t wait.” Stella told her truthfully.

~X~

Stella bit her lip anxiously when the nurse called her name and Dana was nowhere to be seen. Just as she stood from her seat, the elevator doors opened and Dana rushed down the hallway towards them.

“I’m so sorry.” Dana panted breathlessly as she reached Stella, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

“It’s fine, you’re here.” Stella told her as she felt herself relax with Dana’s hand on her back.

They followed the nurse into the same exam room and Stella was guided to the table while answering countless questions from the doctor. She felt almost like a third wheel when Dana and the doctor greeted each other and had a tiny catch up as she lay back, but as soon as she felt Dana take her hand, the feeling disappeared.

“Okay, everything looks perfect.” Dr Evans announced with a smile, noticing the tears in both Stella and Dana’s eyes at the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. “Have you guys decided if you want to know the gender?”

Stella nodded. “We do.”

They watched, gripping one another’s hands as the doctor pointed to the image on the screen and explained what they were seeing. “Congratulations, you’re having a baby girl.”

“Oh my god.”

Dana leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Stella’s head as the blonde stared at her baby on the screen.

The rest of the appointment went by in a blur and before they knew it they were sitting in Dana’s office tucking into the lunch the redhead had made them before she left for work in the morning.

The smile hadn’t left Stella’s face since they had left the exam room downstairs. “It’s a girl.”

“And she’s going to be absolutely gorgeous.” Dana smiled back, imaging a tiny baby with Stella’s hair and deep blue eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously can't believe this is chapter 18! This started off as me just writing the first chapter (or maybe 2 idk?) just to get it out of my head and clearly it's grown arms and legs since then :D  
> Thank you to everyone who commented on the last couple of chapters! I will get back to you guys soon, I'm just trying to keep my head above water with college work right now. Every comment I get really is appreciated!

Dana couldn’t help the smile that crept across her face as she watched Stella. The blonde was in a world of her own as she painted. She had settled on pale grey for the nursery walls with white wooden furniture, softened by the blush pink accents.

They’d spent the better part of the morning painting and had taken a break for the afternoon to let the paint dry and go shopping for the furniture. She let her mind drift back to their shopping trip.

Changed out of their painting clothes, Stella followed Dana through the huge store. She’d frequented it often for a variety of reasons, but she had never had reason to step foot on the floor that housed all things baby. Dana had come armed with a list of the essentials and Stella had highlighted the ones she wanted to buy today.

The shop employees had been wonderful once they saw she was pregnant. Rather than leaving Dana to lug the heavy flat-pack furniture through the shop on a trolley, they had taken it to the front for her, instructing Stella to bring the car to the entrance while Dana – armed with Stella’s credit card – waited by the tills and paid for their haul.

Stella had bit her lip when she’d climbed out of the car just in time to hear one of the men refer to her as Dana’s wife. She’d seen Dana take a breath to correct him before simply thanking them for their help.

When they got home, Dana had insisted on enlisting the help of a neighbour to get the furniture in the house and up the stairs. She had refused to let Stella help even with the lighter items, leaving her to carry the bags of soft furnishings instead.

Now, the room was halfway through the final coat of paint, the boxes of furniture were balanced precariously against the wall in the hallway, making it easier to slide them into the nursery for construction once the walls were finished.

Dana was the one lost in her thoughts when Stella finished the wall and carefully deposited the roller on the tray. She turned to look at her girlfriend and found the redhead staring in her general direction.

“Are you okay?”

Dana nodded. She really was. She smiled when Stella crossed the room to meet her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Thank you for letting me be a part of this.”

Stella said nothing but kissed her softly. “You never have to thank me.” She looked around, there wasn’t much they could do until the final coat of paint was dry. “Why don’t we call it a night and I’ll order pizza?”

“Oh my god, that sounds amazing.” Dana groaned. “I didn’t realise I was starving until you mentioned food.”

Before she could pull away she felt Stella grab her wrist and bring it to the spot on her belly where she could feel the baby kicking. Dana’s jaw dropped at the feeling beneath her palm. Until today, the baby’s movements hadn’t been strong enough to be felt from the outside. Tears welled in both women’s eyes as blue met blue and they both smiled brightly.

Dana let out a happy laugh as she brought her other hand to cradle Stella’s belly too, the blonde’s hands covering her own. “There’s really a baby in there.”

Stella laughed at the wonder in Dana’s voice. “I’d hope so, or I really need to get to the pool more often.”

Dana rolled her eyes, the two of them stood still, their focus on the baby until the movements calmed. Before she moved away, Stella brought her hands to cup Dana’s face, swiping at tears with her thumbs before pressing another kiss to her lips.

An hour and a shared shower later, they were curled on the couch with two pizzas on the table in front of them. Neither were paying much attention to the movie playing on TV and Stella could tell that Dana was once again lost in her thoughts. She extended her leg and nudged Dana’s hip with her foot, catching the redhead’s attention.

“You okay? You looked upset.” Stella asked, her eyes searching Dana’s face.

Dana shook her head. “I’m alright. I was just thinking about my mom.” She sighed and met Stella’s eyes. “I know it’s been months but I still haven’t told her about us.”

“Scared of how she’ll react?” Stella asked, her voice full of understanding.

Dana nodded. “A little. She knows about you, obviously, but she thinks you’re a friend. I haven’t had the balls to correct her over the phone.”

“What changed?”

“She wants to come visit.” Dana replied, a small smile playing on her lips when Stella reached over to take her hand. “She hasn’t been here since just after I moved. I thought I could introduce her to you over lunch or something, so she has a chance to meet you. Then I could tell her later that night. I don’t know. I can’t make up my mind on whether it would make it better or worse if you were there.”

“Hey,” Stella gave Dana’s hand a squeeze to break up her nervous ramble. “Do what you think is best. We can take her for lunch or do dinner at your place or something. We can figure it out. Just let me know what you want to do and how I can make this easier for you.”

Dana sighed softly. “Thank you. I just don’t know what to expect. She loves me, I know she does, and that won’t just disappear when she finds out I have a girlfriend. I’m scared she’ll be too blinded by her faith. But she’s already lost two children. Melissa is gone, I’m her only daughter now. She has no contact with Charlie… I’d like to think she won’t turn her back on me over this, but something in the back of my mind is telling me she might.”

“She’ll come round.” Stella tried to assure her. “From everything you’ve told me, she sounds reasonable and you have a close relationship. She might be shocked and it might take a while for her to get used to the idea of you being with a woman, but she loves you. But, if god forbid, she doesn’t get used to it, I’ll be there for you. Unless you want me to take a step back, in which case, that’s what I’ll do. I don’t want to come between you and your mother, Dana.”

Dana shook her head vehemently. “No chance. I’m not losing you because she can’t accept that I’m in love with a woman. I love her, and it’ll kill me if she doesn’t accept this, but I love you, too. I’m a grown woman, while I may want my mother to approve of my life decisions, she hasn’t been overjoyed about many of them thus far. She usually gets over it after a year or so.”

Stella simply squeezed Dana’s hand again, pulling the redhead closer. “I love you.”

Dana sighed sleepily as she settled against Stella’s side, the blonde’s hand now playing with strands of red hair. A few moments later, Stella shifted in her seat, bringing Dana back from the brink of sleep.

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Time for bed.” Dana frowned, it was only eight o’clock. “I let you sleep for almost two hours, it’s almost ten and you have work in the morning.”

Dana groaned and accepted the hand Stella offered to help her to her feet. She trudged upstairs behind her girlfriend, surprised at just how tired she felt after only one day of decorating.

Once in bed, she wrapped an arm around Stella’s waist and pulled the blonde close, her hand coming to rest on the swell of her belly. It was Stella’s tired voice that broke the silence. “Can we talk about names when you get home tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

~X~

Stella was still at her desk come seven PM. She’d sent Dana a message just before five and then turned her personal phone off, knowing Dana would only call her work phone if it was an emergency. She wasn’t sure what was keeping her here. Her caseload was quiet, the reviews were all relatively small investigations and while she knew she was next on the list to take the lead on their next major case, right now there was nothing on her desk to warrant her refusal to go home.

A knock at her door made her jump and she looked up to see Chris standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing here, Gibson?”

Stella raised an eyebrow at him. Technically, he was DCS Chris George, her superior and the man she reported to during work hours. But to her, he was just Chris, the boy she’d grown up alongside as they both grieved the loss of a parent and the man who had pushed her through her early days as a PC when she was close to giving up. It was thanks to him that she had risen through the ranks. He’d calmly talked her into and pushed her towards every promotion she was eligible for.

“It seems I’m avoiding going home, Sir.”

Chris sighed. “Dana working?”

Stella returned the sigh and looked at her watch. “Only for another hour or so.”

Chris frowned as he helped himself to a seat on the couch in the office. “So why not go home?”

The silence was long and the atmosphere turned heavy as Stella tried to figure out how to answer. In the send she settled on honesty.

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Do what?”

Stella clasped her hands, resting her forehead on them for a moment before she looked back up at Chris. “All of it. The domesticity of my life is killing me right now. I can’t do the relationship and a baby thing. Since I was a child I’ve had to do things alone, it’s how I operate. And now I’ve got a girlfriend I see almost every day or night, who wants to know how I’m doing. She calls when she’s on her way home, she checks in just because she misses me, when I’m having a bad day she takes care of me. I’m not used to having that!

“And now she wants me to meet her mother, and we were going to talk about baby names tonight. We spent the weekend decorating the nursery together. She wants to take me on holiday before the baby is born because by my birthday I’ll either be too big and tired to do anything or our lives will have been turned upside down _again_ by a baby. I’m not a domestic person, Chris.” Stella told him, her voice almost panicked. “Have you ever pictured me settling down and having kids with someone? Because I haven’t. I’ve never met someone’s mother, I’ve never let someone so far into my life that they get a say in how I decorate my home or what I name my child. I don’t know if I’m capable of being what she deserves.”

There it was. Chris suppressed the urge to smile at Stella as she rounded her desk. He understood her fears and they were valid. But what she didn’t realise was that they were mostly baseless.

“You are capable.” Chris assured her. “You’re happier than I’ve ever seen you. It may not be how you pictured your life… But sometimes the life we _think_ we want really isn’t what we want at all. Do you really think Dana would be happier without you in her life?”

Stella thought for a moment and then shook her head. “It’d be easier for her. I’m not an easy person to love.”

Chris laughed at her. Stella frowned and he was quick to cut off whatever response was about to be thrown at him. “On the contrary, Stella. You are extremely easy to love. You’re a better person than you believe. You’ve dedicated your life to helping others, and when you love someone you love them deeply.”

Chris paused to make sure she was listening and then continued. “You may need space, and you may not want to be coddled, but that doesn’t make you hard to love. Tell me. Dana, does she respect your wishes? Allow you time to yourself? Check in without being overbearing?”

Stella nodded.

“Then I believe your worries are a result of your own anxiety rather than Dana’s actions. She supports you in a way that also gives you breathing space. She respects that you’ve reached your forties by taking care of yourself. She knows you’re perfectly capable of looking after yourself, that you don’t need her to survive, but she wants to be with you anyway. She loves you just as much as you love her.”

“I think I do need her.” Stella admitted, her voice husky with unshed tears. “It’s been four months and I already can’t imagine my life without her in it. But I want what’s best for her.”

“Has she ever given you a reason not to trust her?”

“No.”

“Then trust that she wants to be with you. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be here.”

Stella took a deep breath and stood from her place perched against her desk. She adjusted her silk shirt where it tucked into her skirt at the top of her stomach and then smoothed the skirt down over her bump before she finally looked back up at Chris.

“I just feel like I’m struggling to keep my head above water here. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. It scares me how much I need her, scares me that I _want_ to meet her mother. It downright petrifies me thinking about what will happen to me if she leaves. I let someone get too close before and we both know how that ended.

Chris sighed and looked up at her. “You can’t think about that. You’re both happy together so just take each day as it comes and let her love you. Don’t look for problems that aren’t there.”

His words were blunt but Stella knew he was right. She nodded at him and rolled her eyes at his smug smile. “Come on. Let me drive you home. I don’t know how you spend all day in those shoes.”

Usually, Stella would roll her eyes at the comment and brush it off, but now at six months pregnant she had to admit she was beginning to wonder if the extra height was worth the discomfort at the end of the day. Without responding she simply grabbed her jacket and bag, making sure she had her keys and both phones before she followed Chris to his car.


	19. Chapter 19

The car ride was silent and Stella was surprised at just how tired she was now that her mind had slowed down. They were almost at her house when she lifted her head from her hand and broke the quiet. “Can you take me to Dana’s?”

Chris raised an eyebrow but agreed, asking for directions as he turned the car around.

When they reached Dana’s house, Stella was surprised to see her girlfriend just climbing out of her own car. She looked tired. The blonde thanked Chris quickly before hauling herself out of the car and rushing to catch up to Dana.

Dana whipped around at the sound of heels and her eyebrows raised in surprise when she saw Stella. She gave a small wave to Chris as he drove away before she turned her attention back to her girlfriend.

“I thought you had to work?” There was no accusation in her voice and it made Stella feel even worse about avoiding her.

Stella shook her head with a sigh. “I just didn’t want to come home.”

A flash of hurt crossed Dana’s face and Stella felt a pang of guilt. For the first time, she saw Dana hesitant to take her inside. She took a step closer to the redhead, her stomach almost touching Dana’s side.

“Dana, please.” Her voice was soft. “If you want me to go, I will. But just let me explain.”

Dana breathed out a soft sigh and nodded before stepping away to open her front door.

Once inside, she and Stella removed their jackets and shoes in silence, abandoning their bags by the stairs before they moved into the kitchen to talk. Dana busied herself with making two cups of tea, forgoing dinner completely.

Stella took a seat at the table and clasped her hands around her mug to keep from fidgeting. She didn’t wait until Dana sat to start talking, she knew she’d be heard either way. Or at least she hoped she would.

“Dana, please believe me when I say it’s not your fault I was avoiding leaving work.” Stella began. “I was worried, about how natural it feels to just be with you. How easily you’ve become part of my life. I never, ever expected to let someone close enough to help me decorate a nursery and pick baby names. I never imagined myself having to decorate a nursery or pick baby names, to be truthful. I’m used to pushing people away before they get close enough to hurt me. But I realised that I don’t want to push you away, because I truly don’t know what I’d do if I had to go back to life without you. I’d never stop you from leaving, but acknowledging how badly I want you to stay threw me.

“I can’t believe what we have. I never thought I’d be in a relationship with a baby on the way and preparing to meet your mother and go on a summer holiday.” Stella paused and looked up to find Dana looking back at her. “A lot has happened in four short months. I was in a really bad place after Belfast, and it’s thanks to you that I’ve managed to rebuild. I’m a different person than when I left London. I thought I was happy with my life. I had my career, I had a hobby, and I found pleasure as and when I wanted, with whomever I wanted. But looking back, I’ve realised that it wasn’t much of a life. I was lonely and I threw myself into my work to avoid facing that.

“I never thought when I left London, I would come home pregnant and find the most stable relationship I’ve ever had. It scares me that I want to meet your mother, and go on a summer holiday with you, that I can’t imagine raising my daughter without you there to help me.” Stella took a deep breath. She wasn’t even sure she was making sense but she was baring her soul to Dana and now she wasn’t sure she could stop. “I’m sorry, for lying to you, and for staying at work. Sometimes I forget that my methods of protecting myself hurt those around me. Especially when, like today, I have nothing to protect myself from.”

Dana sighed, her arms crossed across her front. “I understand. I know what it’s like to have your life flipped upside down more than once in a short space of time. It’s an adaption, especially when you’re not used to having a support system. I was lucky that I did. But I just want you to know that you can talk to me.” Dana paused to gather her words. “I don’t mean you have to pour your heart out to me every time you feel unsure. But let me know how you’re feeling, or if there’s anything I can do to help. Even if that’s taking a step back. I know how overwhelming it is to find out you’re pregnant when you never expected it to happen, I know how terrifying it is to realise that in less than a year you’re gonna a have a child who will be your sole responsibility. What I’m trying to say is that I understand. So please, the next time you have a wobble, tell me and I can either address your fears or I can give you some breathing space. All I want is for you to be happy.”

“I am happy.” Stella replied without hesitation, no trace of the former doubt in her voice. “I am so unbelievably happy. I just worry that I won’t be enough for you.”

“Oh Stella.” Dana moved across the room and pulled the blonde to her feet, wrapping her in a hug. “You’re more than enough for me.”

Stella said nothing but buried her face in Dana’s neck, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and the last traces of her perfume. When they parted she placed a soft kiss on Dana’s lips.

“How about we skip the baby names tonight?” Stella suggested. “We can start looking for places to stay when we go away?”

Dana smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. But first, food.”

~X~

Both Stella and Dana groaned when they woke to the ringing of Stella’s work phone just after two in the morning.

“Fuck.” Stella grumbled as she pushed herself into a sitting position and grabbed the phone, mentally preparing herself to lessen the chances of her terrifying a dispatch officer. “Gibson.”

Dana heard Stella sigh before informing the caller that she would be there soon. She flicked the lamp on and watched the blonde disappear into the bathroom. When she emerged five minutes later she was dressed all in black, tying the sash of her wrap top at her side.

With a sigh, Stella grabbed her blazer and pulled it on before she leaned over the bed and pressed a quick kiss to Dana’s lips. “Go back to sleep, Love. I’ll message you later.”

Dana mumbled a tired goodbye as Stella turned the lamp off for her before heading downstairs.

~X~

Stella looked up at the sound of footsteps and was relieved to see Chris approaching carrying two takeaway coffee cups.

“Please tell me one of those is mine?”

Chris smirked as he offered her a cup before taking the seat next to her. “Tea only I’m afraid. I know one coffee would be fine, but I don’t want to risk ending up on Dana’s bad side.”

Stella gave a small snort of laughter. It felt wrong to be joking after the night they’d had. She’d arrived at the crime scene to see Chris and his superior officer both already inside the cordon.

It was barely ten in the morning and she’d spent the past eight hours running between the crime scene, her office, and the hospital. Every time she reached one location her attention was needed at another.

“The family are on their way.” Chris told her, his tone grave. “She’s still in surgery so the nurses have requested that we speak to them first in an attempt to prepare them before the surgeon is able to give them an update. However devastating it may be.”

“Who’s the surgeon?” Stella asked. Over the years they’d gotten to know a handful of the staff at the hospitals throughout the city.

Chris only shrugged. All he knew was that their victim had been stabilised in the emergency department before being submitted to a number of tests and being rushed into emergency brain surgery. He stood and disposed of their cups when he saw the family approaching. Before they reached him he turned and offered Stella a hand, pulling her to her feet.

“Mr and Mrs Crawley?” Chris asked, looking between the near distraught couple until they nodded. “I’m Detective Chief Superintendent Chris George, this is Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson. We’re taking the lead on your daughters’ case. Why don’t we take a seat?”

“Where are our girls?” Mrs Crawley begged and Stella felt a twinge in her gut at the pain in the woman’s voice. “What happened to them?”

Stella took a breath as she sat down in the seat across from Mrs Crawley. “At this time, we’re still trying to piece together what it was exactly that happened. Your daughters were found severely beaten by an officer at approximately two o’clock this morning. Lisa is in intensive care, from what we hear she’s stable but in critical condition. Hannah is currently undergoing emergency surgery. Their doctors will come to speak with you as soon as they’re able… I understand that this is incredibly difficult for you both, but may we ask you some questions?”

The couple nodded and Stella continued. “We found one of your girls’ driver’s licenses in her belongings, her address is listed as being in Glasgow, is that correct?”

Mrs Crawley nodded. “Yes. We moved there when the girls were little. We have family down here so we agreed to let them come for Hannah’s birthday last week.”

“Do either of you know what the girls were doing last night? If they had any plans?” The parents shook their heads. “We’d be grateful if you could provide us with contact details for the family they were visiting so we can ask them some questions. Did the girls have any friends down here? People they may go out with?”

“I don’t know, sorry.” Mr Crawley answered.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door of the family room and Stella hid her surprise when she saw Dana in the doorway.

“Mr and Mrs Crawley? I’m Dana Scully, the girls’ doctor.”

The parents jumped up to face Dana and Stella stood too, pulling a business card from her pocket. “Here are my contact details. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything you think of that could be of use. And let me know if there’s anything we can do for you.” Stella gave the card to the woman in front of her before moving past Chris to leave. “Dr Scully.”

“Detectives.” Dana nodded at the pair as they took their leave.

~X~

 _“I saw Dana’s report. It doesn’t look good_.” Stella sighed at Chris’ words and wedged her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she stood at the vending machine in the hospital hallway.

“They’re eighteen and twenty-one, they’re just kids. I can’t imagine how their parents must be feeling.” She looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching. “I have to go.”

“ _We’ll catch the bastard responsible. Or at the very least we’ll do our best_.” Chris assured her before hanging up.

Stella sighed again and slid her phone back into her pocket as she observed the options in front of her. She paid no attention as the footsteps rounded the corner towards her. They came to a stop just as she squatted to retrieve the chocolate bar.

“How long have you got left?”

Stella stood and turned to look at Mrs Crawley. “Around two and a half months.”

“Boy or girl?”

“Girl.” Stella answered, her hand falling to her stomach subconsciously.

“A word of advice detective? One mother to another? Hold her tight and don’t let her go. I’m sure you know what a place the world can be.”

“I do. How are you holding up?”

“My entire world is teetering between life and death, side by side in intensive care beds… there’s nothing I can do to help.” Mrs Crawley’s eyes watered and Stella’s heart broke for the woman.

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“Just try to catch him.”

“I promise you I’m doing my best.”

“I know.” Mrs Crawley hesitated for a moment. “I do have one question. My husband doesn’t want me to ask…”

“Go on.” Stella encouraged as they began to walk slowly towards the intensive care unit.

“We saw you and Doctor Scully having coffee or breakfast the other morning on our way from the hotel. Is there something we should know about the case?”

“Doctor Scully is my girlfriend.” Stella answered, suppressing the urge to sigh. “You have my word that if there was any information regarding the girls’ condition or the case, you’d be the first to know, and you’d hear it directly from one of us. I’ll also assure you that both of us are bound by our professions to keep our information confidential. The only discussions we have surrounding the girls are over medical reports provided by Dana’s team to mine.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for prying. I just had to be sure.” Mrs Crawley replied, fidgeting with the coffee cup in hand.

“Of course.” Stella gave her a tight smile, grateful when her phone rang.


	20. Chapter 20

Stella looked up in surprise at the sound of Dana coming in the front door. The redhead looked exhausted when she entered the living room and she faltered for a moment when she saw Stella.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be home.” Dana admitted, a hint of something Stella couldn’t identify in her voice. “I’m sorry for using the key. I know it’s for emergencies.”

Stella shook her head and held the blanket up for Dana to join her. “Don’t be sorry. I gave you it so you could use it.”

“But I didn’t even know you were going to be here.” Dana pointed out. “I just came because I wanted to be close to you.”

Stella wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her hair. “You can come here any time you like. Even when I’m not here.” She pulled back a little in an attempt to look at Dana’s face. “I know today wasn’t easy.”

Dana let out a long breath and rested her head against Stella’s shoulder. Hannah Crawley had succumbed to her injuries just after she got to work that morning and the entire shift had gone downhill from there.

“Can we not talk about it tonight?” Dana asked quietly. “Do you mind if I go for a bath?”

“Of course not.” With that, Stella climbed out from under her girlfriend and disappeared upstairs to run the hot water, leaving Dana still in a heap on the couch.

When she returned ten minutes later, she found the redhead staring at the TV, the news playing the press conference announcing Hannah’s death.

“Hey, your bath is ready.” Stella said softly, moving to stand in front of her girlfriend, blocking her view.

Dana clicked the TV off and took Stella’s hands. Before the blonde could pull her to her feet, she pulled Stella down into her lap.

Stella laughed softly as she straddled Dana’s thighs. “I won’t fit in your lap like this for much longer.”

“Well then you better make the most of it while you can and kiss me.” Dana muttered, her eyes closing as Stella flipped her hair to one side and cupped her jaw before capturing her lips.

When they parted, Stella shook her head at the look on Dana’s face. “Not tonight, love. It’s been a long day and your bath will get cold. Come on.”

Dana let Stella pull her to her feet, following her upstairs to the bathroom. The steamy room smelled divine and she took a deep breath as she undressed. As she slipped into the water, Stella perched on the edge of the tub, unwilling to kneel on the floor.

Stella was glad to see the tension slowly leaving Dana’s body as she soaked. Wordlessly, she moved to the end of the tub and let her fingers run through the red hair, freeing it from its ponytail. She found a cup and carefully poured the water over Dana’s hair. She smiled when Dana let out a soft sigh as she began to massage the shampoo into her scalp.

Dana let Stella rinse her hair before she realised the awkward angle her girlfriend was bent at and tried to stop her from applying the conditioner. Stubborn as always, Stella refused despite the discomfort.

“Have you spoken to your mother yet?” Stella asked by way of distraction.

Dana nodded. “She’ll be here next Friday afternoon, leaving on Sunday afternoon. I thought we could do dinner on Friday. Then depending on how it goes and what your workload is like, maybe lunch on the Saturday?”

“That sounds good.” Stella replied. Truthfully, she was still terrified of meeting Dana’s mother, but she knew how much it meant to her girlfriend that she did.

They spent the rest of Dana’s bath in silence and Stella suppressed a groan as she straightened her stiff back. The redhead shot her a knowing look as she wrapped a towel around herself, watching Stella massage the muscles of her lower back.

Changed into her pyjamas, Dana manoeuvred Stella to sit on the bed, leaning forward on her hands. Stella let out a small moan of discomfort as Dana worked the knots out of her tense back.

“Have you thought of any names yet?”

Stella thought for a moment. Really the answer was no. She had a list of names she absolutely would not name her daughter, but so far none that she would. “Nothing to do with the Spector case. So that’s Alice, Fiona, Sarah, Annie, Rose, Ann, Olivia, Sally, Katie, all out, at the very least. What about you?”

“Anything but Emily.” Dana’s voice had taken on the same tone it had when she talked about William and it made Stella’s heart clench. She didn’t push though, simply nodded. “Have you thought about any names you could picture naming her?”

Stella shook her head. “Not really. I’ve always loved the name Danielle. But given my friendship with Dani it’s more of a middle name contender.”

“It would be a nice little nod to everything she did for you while you were in Belfast.” Dana agreed. “You should start a list of names you like.”

“Have you thought of any?”

“She’s not my daughter.”

Stella sighed and turned her head to look over her shoulder at her girlfriend. “She’s good as. And if you’re not quite comfortable with that then let’s just say I value your input.”

“I loved Amelia, Isabella, Eloise, Leigh and Hailey when I was pregnant.” Dana admitted softly. “But don’t feel you have to avoid them. I’m never gonna be pregnant again. Even if I could I’m not sure I’d cope with the trauma of it all.”

Stella nodded her understanding and mulled the names over in her head. “They’re all lovely. I’d say we have a good starting point for this list.”

Dana smiled and watched Stella crawl up towards the pillows to lie down. Once she was settled, Dana joined her and let her hands fall to the spot the baby liked to kick. They lay in silence until Stella’s breathing evened out and Dana realised she was asleep. She rolled over to turn off the lamp and then wrapped Stella in her arms, burying her face in blonde hair until sleep claimed her.

~X~

Dana watched from the doorway of her office as Stella changed for the press conference about to be held outside the hospital. The conclusion of the case was something she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

“How does something like this even happen?” She hadn’t realised she said it out loud until Stella lifted her head to look at her. “They were sisters.”

Stella sighed as she pulled the waistband of her trousers over her large bump. “After my father died, I ended up with a number of older men. The youngest I believe was thirty five. Which doesn’t sound old until you realise that I was fifteen, maybe sixteen at the most. I would have done anything for him. We got engaged when I was seventeen. I was blinded by what I thought was love, really it was manipulation, abuse and isolation.”

“What happened?” Dana asked, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

“I had a pregnancy scare.” Stella told her. “I wasn’t pregnant, but before I could even take the test he threw me down the stairs and through the living room wall. He disappeared after that and I never saw him again…

“Then when I was around twenty, I found someone closer to my own age who was equally as bad for me. But again, I thought I loved him. We got as far as the week before our wedding before I found out he wasn’t actually planning to show up. After that I stopped letting people get close. They couldn’t hurt me or leave me if I pushed them away first.”

She said it with a shrug but it tugged at Dana’s heart. Stella’s hesitance and her tendency to pull away suddenly made a lot more sense.

“It’s amazing how blinded you can be when you think you’re in love with someone. Lisa is as much of a victim in this as her sister, even without the injuries. She’s got a long road to recovery, and it won’t be helped by the fact that a small part of her parents will blame her for her sister’s death. They may not mean it, but she’ll feel it and it’ll come out in anger.”

Dana shook her head in sadness as Stella looked herself over in the mirror before throwing on her blazer and moving towards the door. She pulled Dana just inside to kiss her quickly before she looked at her watch and groaned. “I have to go. I’m not sure what time I’ll be able to get away tonight but I’ll come straight to you?”

Dana nodded. “Keep me posted.”

“I will.” Stella pressed another quick kiss to Dana’s lips before she rushed down the hallway to join Chris outside the hospital.

~X~

Dana froze when she entered her living room to see her mother watching the evening news report about Stella’s case.

_“Lead investigators, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson and Detective Chief Superintendent Chris George, gave a press conference outside the hospital earlier today.”_

Dana found herself staring at the image of her girlfriend on screen and blinked in an attempt to focus on what Stella was saying.

“We are now able to confirm that our lead suspect in the brutal attack of Lisa Crawley, and the death of her sister, Hannah Crawley, is one Jack Davidson. Mr Davidson aged twenty eight, was found unresponsive in his home at approximately ten o’clock last night by officers and was transferred to hospital. He spent the night in intensive care before he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of his morning. His death is not being treated as suspicious.” Stella explained. “Mr and Mrs Crawley would like to ask that the press respect their privacy and that of their family at this incredibly difficult time. On behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service, I’d like to thank those who came forward with information. We are not currently pursuing any further lines of enquiry. Thank you.”

“Detectives!” The reporters shouted over one another as Stella and Chris turned away from the camera. “Is it true that Mr Davidson was the boyfriend of Lisa Crawley?”

Stella’s face held a barely concealed rage as she turned back to the camera, her actions calm. “What part of respecting the family’s privacy did you not understand? I’ll make it clearer for you – there will be _no_ further comment, not regarding the case and not regarding the Crawley family’s private lives.”

Dana felt a small proud smile cross her face as the news reporter appeared back on screen. She grabbed the control and turned the TV off as she heard her phone ring.

“Hello?” She sat down across from her mother and shot her a small smile as she answered the phone. “Let yourself in when you get here. We’re just having coffee. We’ll see you soon.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow as Dana hung up. “So that was your friend Stella on the news?”

Dana nodded. “It’s been a tough case, she’s not usually as _short_ with the press, at least not on live TV.”

“She’s more heavily pregnant than you made out. What does her husband think of her working such a case?”

Dana’s throat felt like it was being squeezed. She cleared it and took a sip of her coffee before she answered. “She doesn’t have a husband, mom.”

“Oh. Her partner then?”

“Her partner doesn’t care so long as she’s safe and sensible. She’d never put her baby at risk.” Her heart was racing and she prayed she didn’t look as scared as she felt in that moment.

Maggie only nodded though Dana wasn’t sure if it was in agreement or in order to avoid a disagreement with her daughter.

It wasn’t long before they heard the front door open and they both stood as they heard Stella’s heels approaching on the hardwood floor.

The blonde smiled brightly when she entered the living room to see the two Scully women. She relaxed a little when Dana greeted her with a tight hug. “Hey.”

“Stella, this is my mom, Margaret Scully.” Dana introduced. “Mom, Stella Gibson.”

“It’s an honour to meet you.” Stella smiled, masking her surprise when Maggie pulled her into a hug.

“You too, honey. Dana’s told me a lot about you. Oh, and call me Maggie.”

“All good things, I hope?” Stella asked, turning to Dana with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course!” Maggie laughed. “I just saw you on the news, you know how to handle the reporters.”

Stella tried to hide the awkwardness she felt at the comment and bit back a sigh of relief when Dana stepped in. “I made enough dinner for all of us. I put yours in a Tupperware tub so you can take it home later if you want.”

“You’re a star.” Stella smiled, sighing in relief as she stepped out of her heels.

She could feel both Maggie and Dana’s eyes on her. Dana’s look was one of concern while Maggie seemed to be trying to get a read on her.

“I don’t know how you manage in those heels!” Maggie finally commented. “Dana told me you were pregnant but she didn’t tell me how far along you are?”

“I’ll be in my seventh month next week.” Stella answered as they sat. She tucked her feet under herself and rested one hand on the arm of the chair while the other came to rest protectively on her bump.

“Oh, I thought you were closer to your due date by the way you’re carrying!”

“Mom!” Dana admonished. “I’m sorry, Stell.”

“It’s okay.” Stella brushed off the apology despite the way the comment made her bristle. “This case has been all hands on deck for a while so I haven’t been managing to get to the pool as often as I usually would.”

Dana quickly steered the topic away from Stella’s pregnancy and the three of them chatted until the redhead noticed her girlfriend’s eyelids starting to droop.

“Stay here tonight, Stell. I don’t think you should be driving home when you’re so tired.”

“I’ll be okay. It’s not a long drive.” Stella shook her head and stood. She stared at her heels, reluctant to stuff her aching feet back into them.

“I think Dana’s right, honey. It’ll do nobody any good if you get in an accident. Dana and I can share the guest room.” Maggie spoke up, her face showing genuine care. “If not at least let Dana drive you, or call a car for you?”

“Take the bed, Stella.” Dana pushed. “You know where everything is. Make yourself at home.”

Stella hid a smirk. She knew the last comment was for Maggie’s benefit. Dana’s wardrobe held a small selection of her clothes, both causal and for work, one nightstand housed some underwear and a couple of sets of pyjamas. She had a toothbrush in the bathroom, just like Dana had the same privileges in her home.

It was barely ten minutes later that Dana crept into the bedroom to see Stella.

“What are you doing here?” Stella whispered as she sat on the bed.

“I just wanted a minute with you.” Dana admitted as she took Stella’s hand in her own. “Thank you for meeting her, especially after a day like today. It means a lot to me.”

Stella smiled. “She’s a lovely woman. When are you gonna tell her?”

“I think after breakfast tomorrow. I don’t want you to go… but maybe if you head home before lunch, I can tell her then and call you after? I don’t want you caught in the middle of it all if it goes badly. She’s not known for her tact when emotionally charged.”

Stella let out a huff of amusement. “I’ll do breakfast for everyone in the morning and I’ll take off after give you two some mother, daughter time.”

“I love you.” Dana’s voice was barely a whisper as she heard her mother move from the bathroom to the guest room.

“I love you too.” Stella replied against Dana’s lips. “Now go before she comes looking for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter like four times and I still don't know if I like the way I wrote Maggie, but idk I just find her so hard to write...


	21. Chapter 21

Stella turned to look over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Dana and Maggie enter the kitchen. “Perfect timing.”

“This all smells delicious.” Maggie smiled as she watched Stella plate up the food while Dana moved to make tea and coffee.

Maggie watched them. There was an ease with which they moved around each other in the small space that told her that it was far from the first time they’d made breakfast together. She didn’t question it; she was simply happy her daughter finally seemed to have a friend in London.

“So Stella, tell me about your family.” Maggie began once they were all seated and had started eating.

Stella wasn’t sure exactly what Dana had told Maggie so she went with the truth. “I don’t really have one. My father died when I was a teenager and my mother was never particularly bothered with me. I was raised an only child and to my knowledge, aside for the family my mother started after my father’s death, I have no extended family.”

“Oh.” Maggie faltered. “I’m sorry to hear that. You have your own family now though? Does your husband have family?”

Stella’s eyes shot to Dana’s in a panic. She didn’t how Maggie would react to the knowledge that she got pregnant by a one night stand. The woman was a faithful catholic and she didn’t want to land Dana in any more trouble.

“Mom, I told you yesterday Stella doesn’t have a husband.” Dana reminded her. One thing she had failed to ask Stella was how much of the situation surrounding her pregnancy she was willing to share.

“Oh…”

Stella could see the confusion in Maggie’s face and the panic on Dana’s. “Actually, the father was killed long before I even knew I was pregnant. Dana has been a big help, though.”

“I’m so sorry.” Maggie gasped, suddenly feeling terrible for her prying. “If I had known… Dana, why didn’t you tell me?”

Dana stumbled over an answer, relieved when Stella stepped in. “Not many people are aware of the exact circumstances, so I think it’s likely Dana was just trying to keep with my habit of keeping the information to myself. I don’t talk about it a lot.”

Maggie nodded in understanding and squeezed one of Stella’s hands. “Of course.”

A look at the clock startled Stella to her feet. “It was lovely to meet you Mrs Scully, but I’m afraid I have to go. Thank you for the food and letting me have your bed last night, Love.” Stella told Dana, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Take my sneakers!” Dana called as Stella rushed to gather her belongings. “Save the heels for real work days!”

Stella didn’t need to be told twice as she found Dana’s trainers by the door and sat on the stairs to pull them on.

~X~

The evening was peaceful, after a day of touring London with her mother, Dana was grateful to be able to lose herself in her book while her mother took a bath. She and Stella had agreed that the impromptu sleepover and subsequent breakfast was enough of an introduction for one day, especially since Dana still had to tell Maggie the truth. They made tentative breakfast plans for Sunday morning depending on how Maggie took the news.

“What’s this?”

Dana jumped out of her skin at the sound of her mother’s voice. She’d been silent in her entry to the room and Dana’s attention had been elsewhere.

Maggie didn’t apologise for startling her daughter, simply repeated the question and held up the items in her hand.

Dana felt a brief moment of panic wash over her before she found it in her to answer. “My birthday card from Stella.”

That wasn’t all. Maggie was also holding the note Stella had stuck to the card and the first ultrasound, the second ultrasound was in the bundle too.

“This seems like more than just a birthday card, Dana.” Maggie shot back, a tone of warning in her voice as she read the note aloud. “ _This is for you. Thank you for all you do for us, I love you._ ’ And she’s signed the card, ‘ _All my love, always, Stella’._ That doesn’t seem like _friends_ , Dana. What the hell is going on?”

Dana ran her hands over her face and through her hair, her book abandoned as she looked up at her mother. “We’re together. She’s my girlfriend.”

Maggie was silent and Dana wasn’t sure what to do. Unsure if she should brace herself for a fight or try to explain herself.

“Mom?”

Maggie took a deep breath, seemingly trying to settle herself. “This is wrong, Dana, what about Fox?”

“Mulder and I are over, Mom. We have been for years. He’s met Stella a couple times. He basically gave us his blessing. He wants me to be happy. You should too.”

“What about the baby? How long has this been going on? You don’t have a baby with someone you just met.”

Dana sighed, knowing she’d owe Stella an apology when the weekend was over. “The baby was a mistake. She was working in Belfast and had a one night stand. She wasn’t lying about the father, he was shot in the line of duty the next night.”

Maggie scoffed. “Like that makes it all better? What are you doing with her? You really think she’s good for you? She could be using you! Do you even know her? Is it the baby? Is that why you’re with her? Out of some misplaced sense of duty because you gave William up?”

Dana’s blood ran cold and she saw red as she stood and looked at her mother, tears of rage and hurt filling her eyes. “Get out.”

“Where do you expect me to go?”

Dana laughed dangerously. “I don’t care. But I want you out of my house. _Now_.”

Seeing that her daughter was not about to back down, Maggie moved around the room and found her phone and jacket, slipping on her shoes before leaving with a wordless slam of the front door.

The silence in the room was deafening and Dana fell back to the couch and allowed herself to cry. She sobbed until it felt like she had nothing more to give and only then did she pick up her phone and dial Stella’s number.

~X~

Stella’s heart dropped when she answered the phone to her girlfriend’s husky voice and soft sniffs. “Dana?”

“I told her.”

Stella closed her eyes and sighed sadly. “Didn’t go well?”

“She accused me of only being with you because I gave William up. So I threw her out. It’s been three hours and I don’t know where she went.”

Stella stood from behind her desk and headed for Chris’ office. It may have been their day off but the case was far from over. “Does she have her phone?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, give me her number. I’ll find her.”

Chris looked up as Stella rushed into his office, worried when he saw the look on her face. He watched in silence as she grabbed a pen and post-it from his desk and scribbled a phone number on it, motioning to him to locate it. He nodded and got to work.

“Chris is on it already. I’m going to come to you, okay?”

Dana didn’t respond and Stella tried again, unwilling to end the call until Dana had spoken. When she finally got a response she bid a loving goodbye and allowed Dana to hang up first before she slid her phone into her pocket.

Chris raised and eyebrow and Stella barely stopped on her way out the door to answer his unspoken question. “I have an AWOL in-law, as soon as you find that number call me. I have to go see Dana.”

Chris nodded but Stella was already gone, jogging down the hallway to the elevators.

~X~

Stella sat with an arm wrapped around Dana’s shoulder as the redhead cried. She’d made Dana a cup of tea when she’d arrived and promised that Chris would be in contact as soon as they were able to locate Maggie’s phone.

The ringing of Stella’s phone made both women jump and she stood when she saw Chris’ caller ID. “Gibson.”

_“I found her.”_

Stella sighed in relief and took note of Maggie’s location, thanking Chris when he announced he was on his way to find her now. She took a deep breath and moved back into the living room to Dana.

“Chris just gave me your mother’s location. I’m going to go talk to her, okay?” Dana nodded as Stella crouched in front of her. “What do you want me to do? I can bring her back here or I can set her up in a hotel for the night. It’s up to you.”

“I don’t know. Just go find her. Do what you think is best.” Dana’s voice was more strained that Stella ever remembered hearing it and it made her heart ache.

~X~

Stella relaxed a little as she rushed through the park to see Chris sitting on a bench near Maggie. She knew from the little information she had that he’d managed to introduce himself as her boss. Maggie had known she was coming and had yet to flee.

Chris and Maggie both looked up at the sound of Stella’s heels and she sent her friend a tight but grateful smile as he stood and took his leave, leaving Stella to come to a stop a few feet from Maggie.

“Mrs Scully.” Stella began, trying to keep the awkwardness from her voice.

“I wasn’t expecting her to send out a search party.” Maggie commented without looking up.

Stella sighed. “She was worried about you.”

Maggie shook her head sadly but said nothing.

Stella moved to the bench and took a seat on the opposite end from Maggie.

“Mrs Scully, I never really had a relationship with my own mother, so I won’t pretend to understand the dynamics of your relationship with Dana. But I do know that neither one of you want to lose each other.” Stella had no idea where she was going but now that she had started talking she couldn’t stop. “The night Dana and I met, I was in a terrible place in my life. I had been attacked at work two days prior and Dana was selfless enough to help a stranger. Your daughter has been my rock every day for the last five months, and if you’re thinking I don’t deserve her, you’re probably right. But I need you to know that I love her and I will do anything in my power to make her happy. It would devastate me to lose her, but I’m not willing to be the reason you do.”

Maggie wasn’t sure what to say. “It’s been five months and yet you talk like she’s the love of your life. How can you be so sure this won’t end with Dana’s heart shattered?”

“I’m not without my flaws. I have an interesting history when it comes to love and relationships, but Dana has been the one to show me that it’s not all bad. That it’s okay to let your guard down and allow someone to love you.” Stella sighed and for once she wasn’t sure if anything she had said made sense. “I know that this has likely been a shock for you, and that it definitely wasn’t what you had in mind for your daughter’s future. But neither Dana nor I were looking for a relationship when we met. Yes, this has moved faster than a lot of relationships, but it feels right. It’s like I can’t remember a time when Dana wasn’t around…”

Maggie finally turned to look at her and Stella saw tears welling in the older woman’s eyes. “I said something horrible to her before she threw me out.”

“I know.”

“Of course she told you.”

“Things said in anger may not be forgotten but they can be forgiven.” Stella said, her attention drawn to her stomach as she felt her daughter kick. “I’m terrified of becoming a mother, but I know that Dana was born to be a parent. She’s been amazing ever since I found out I was pregnant. And while I haven’t mentioned this to her yet, I think you should know that, should our relationship end for some reason, I’d never keep the baby from her. You may be conflicted about the information you’ve received today, but you should be proud of your daughter. She’s an amazing person.”

Maggie sniffed and dabbed at the tears on her face. “I don’t know if I can face her tonight.”

“You don’t have to if you think you need some space.” Stella said softly. “It can be a lot to take in. I can get you set up in a hotel and bring your things. I do think, however, that this needs to be addressed before you go home. If you leave tomorrow without talking to Dana, it truly could be the end of your relationship with her. Nobody wants for that to be the case.”

Maggie nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love this has been getting on twitter today, I honestly very nearly cried!  
> I do feel bad having this be the chapter to post after getting all of that love... but fear not, things will be better soon!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again for the love this story has been getting on Twitter for the last couple days! It means so much to me that people like this!

Dana looked up expectantly at the sound of Stella returning. She was dismayed but unsurprised when she only heard one set of footsteps. The blonde gave her a soft smile when she entered the living room.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be.” Stella answered. “Physically she’s absolutely fine. But she has a lot of thinking to do.” Dana nodded. “I got her a room at a nice hotel for the night. I’m here to get her things and then I’ll be back. I think it’s probably best if you two take the night. It may do her some good to have time to process before she has to face you again.”

Dana nodded again and Stella continued.

“She knows what she said about William is wrong. I think, mostly, she’s just scared. She doesn’t want to see you hurt. However, that doesn’t give her reason to be the one causing you pain. Take tonight to have a think about what you want to say to her. But Dana, I don’t want to come between you and your mother.”

“You’re not.” Dana spoke quietly. “My _mother_ is the one coming between me and my mother. Thank you for everything.”

It was Stella’s turn to nod and she moved upstairs to the guest room, unsurprised to see Maggie Scully’s things mostly unpacked. She closed the case and retrieved the handbag she noticed on the bed. If anything else was left over, Dana could return it in the morning.

~X~

Dana woke in the morning wrapped in Stella’s arms. She heaved a contented sigh when she felt the blonde’s hands in her hair. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Love.” Stella smiled as they came face to face.

Dana took a moment to let her eyes roam Stella’s face, taking in the soft morning glow and the mess of her hair. The events of yesterday evening were still playing on her mind and she gave Stella a small smile.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Stella’s voice was soft and gentle. “But you need to talk to her before she leaves. I do have to go to work today, but I’m only a phone call away.”

Dana didn’t know what to say first. She didn’t want to talk to her mother, it was a Sunday, why did Stella have to work, today of all days? She just wanted to stay in bed all day, exactly as they were now.

“I know you want to stay here, Dana, but you can’t.”

Dana groaned. “It’s a Sunday, why are you working?”

Stella sighed. “Because two days ago we found the lead suspect in our case dead and now we’re being asked why we allowed it to happen and how it’s possible that we didn’t see it coming.”

Dana frowned and sat up. “Why is that your responsibility? He wasn’t in police custody and he took his own life, so what does that have to do with you?”

“They want to know we didn’t push him to the edge without doing enough to help him. Nothing will come of it but we need to make sure we’re all on the same page with our ducks in a row by the time the inquest comes around.”

Stella sat up and tucked a strand of Dana’s hair behind her ear. “I won’t be all day. Promise you’ll call me once you’ve spoken to your mother?”

It truly was the last thing she wanted to do.

~X~

Dana swallowed in an attempt to steel her nerves as she waited outside her mother’s hotel room door. She was going to have to have words with Stella about the money spent had spent on the room for the sake of one night.

The door swung open and a tense and awkward silence filled the space between mother and daughter. Dana took a deep breath and looked into Maggie’s face. “Hi.”

Maggie said nothing but opened the door to grant Dana entry to the extravagant room.

“You called the police last night?”

Dana turned to face Maggie. “I called Stella.”

“She’s the police. It’s the same thing. Her boss found me in the park. Babysat me until she arrived.”

Dana fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Despite your reaction, I was worried. You didn’t take your wallet and you didn’t know where you were going. I didn’t want you out all night on your own.”

Maggie said nothing, watching as Dana moved across the room and sat heavily in a chair.

“I won’t lie, I don’t particularly want to be here. I really don’t want to have this conversation. But Stella seems to believe that if I let you leave without discussing it, we’ll likely never speak to each other again.”

Maggie sighed. “She told me the same thing.”

“So let’s talk about it.” Dana said, suddenly feeling much braver than she had upon arrival. “I’m a grown woman. While I appreciate that my life has not gone as you had planned. That does not give you the right to accuse me of committing to Stella just because I see her baby as a replacement for my son. Nothing and no one could ever replace him. I still miss him every day. So you don’t get to accuse me of using Stella to act like he never happened.”

Dana paused for a moment, giving Maggie the chance to speak up. When her mother said nothing, she sighed and continued.

“I understand that you like Mulder, and that my move to London was a surprise for you. But Mulder and I are on good terms and we’ve both agreed that we’re better apart, as friends, than we were together. He’s happy for me, he likes Stella, he accepted that she makes me happy and that she has become a huge part of my life.” Dana’s eyes spilled with hot tears, of hurt, sadness, or anger she wasn’t sure. “I love her, mom. All I want is for you to tell me that you’re okay with that, or at least that you can live with it.”

Maggie folded her arms across her chest, but when she spoke, her voice wasn’t as harsh as Dana had expected. “I want to, Dana. I’m just so confused. You’ve never been attracted to women much less thrown yourself into a relationship with one.”

“That’s not true.” Dana admitted, aware that she ran the risk of angering her mother even more. “I’ve known for years that I’ve been attracted to men and women. I even- I even had a couple girlfriends when I was in med school. I never told you because I was scared of a reaction like this.”

Maggie’s face took on an expression Dana couldn’t read and she looked down at her feet as she spoke up. “I already lost two of my children. I can’t lose another. I’m sorry for what I said about William. I didn’t mean it. I was just shocked and I guess I wanted to hurt you. It wasn’t right.”

“Well, you succeeded. It won’t be forgiven overnight. It was a low blow and it hurt more than you could imagine.” Dana admitted. “ _But_ I don’t want to lose you either, mom. You liked Stella, hell, you loved her right up until I told you about our relationship.”

Maggie nodded. It was true, she could see why her daughter had found an apparent friend in the blonde. “I do still love you, Dana. Of course I do, but this will take a little bit of getting used to.”

Dana took a breath and wiped away her tears. “Will we be okay?”

Maggie nodded again. “We will be.”

The tension in the room was still very much present but with Dana’s sigh of relief she felt it lift a little.

~X~

As soon as Dana walked into the house Stella could tell her mood was low. She was quiet, unbothered about what they’d have for dinner or watch on TV. They’d spoken on the phone after Dana had dropped Maggie at the airport and Stella was glad to know that the situation hadn’t worsened and that Maggie seemed to at least be trying to accept their relationship.

“You okay?”

Dana’s resolve crumbled at the question and she melted into Stella’s arms, allowing the blonde to hold her. Once the sobs had calmed and the ache in her throat had subsided, Dana took a steadying breath and lifted her head to look at Stella.

“I’m just scared that everything we once had is gone. The look on her face.”

Stella shook her head and squeezed Dana’s hand. “It won’t be. It might be different for a while. But she’s your mother, and she loves you. She still loves you and she doesn’t want to lose you. She said it herself.”

“I just want her to be happy for me.” Dana sniffed. “I think it killed her a little when I gave William up. She was so supportive when I was pregnant and she didn’t fully understand why I did it. Didn’t talk to me for a while after… This is what she does. Reacts badly, pulls away, then eventually things go back to normal. Not quite like nothing ever happened, but we never talk about it again.”

Stella brought Dana’s hand to the spot where the baby was kicking, knowing the feeling never failed to make the redhead smile.

“She will be. I know it’s hard right now, and I know that I can’t say I know how it feels. But it’ll be okay.”

Dana was silent once more and Stella accepted the quiet. She almost jumped out of her skin when the redhead suddenly spoke up.

“Baby names or vacation?” Stella frowned in confusion. “I don’t wanna think about my mom anymore. Would you rather talk baby names or decide where to go on vacation?”

The blonde thought for a moment. “Holiday first then if you still want a distraction we can do baby names?”

Dana nodded and disappeared to find Stella’s laptop and when she returned, she leaned back against Stella’s side, angling the screen so they could both see it. She wasn’t sure where they’d end up, truthfully she’d never thought of taking any of her vacation time. She had no reason to.

“Anything you don’t want?”

Stella thought for a moment. “I haven’t been to Edinburgh for a long time, but maybe we should save that for later. It’s a lot of walking and I’d just complain the whole time.”

Dana smirked, knowing it was likely true. “We don’t want that. This is supposed to be a relaxing pre-baby, early birthday getaway. We could still go to Scotland, though?”

Stella nodded. “How about somewhere quiet, nice scenery? But not a cabin in the woods.”

“Oh god no. Too many work memories for us both.” Dana’s face scrunched into a look of disgust and Stella couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve never been to Scotland, do you know anywhere nice?”

Stella hummed and reached awkwardly over Dana’s shoulders to type. They both stayed quiet while Stella browsed before clicking on the website for a hotel near Loch Lomond.

“It looks amazing.” Dana commented, navigating back to google and clicking on the images page. She scrolled, taking in the multitude of pictures of the hotel from different angles, followed by more of the view of the loch, stunning sunsets, and the odd picture of a room. “It has a pool too, if you want to go swimming, and a spa.”

Stella nodded in agreement, amazed at how simple it had been. “When are you available? Do you have your shifts yet?”

“I booked a weekend off way before I even met you. I’m not sure what I was planning to do with it, but if you’re able to get away at the same time, that would work?” Dana suggested as she pulled up the calendar on her phone to show Stella the dates.

Stella nodded and made a note of the dates on her own phone. “If you’re happy with the location I can speak to the powers that be tomorrow and if all is well I’ll book it. How are we getting there?”

Dana frowned. “What are the options?”

“We could drive, which would take roughly eight hours, likely more depending on traffic and the number of times I have to pee.” Stella chuckled.

“No way you’d be able to sit in a car that long and still be able to move after.” Dana exclaimed, dismissing that option immediately. “What are the others?”

“We can get a train from Euston to Glasgow which would take anything from four and a half to six hours depending on the train. Then from Glasgow to the hotel is around three quarters of an hour drive.” Stella explained. “Or we could fly, it’s about half an hour in the car from Glasgow airport to the hotel.”

Dana mulled over the options, thinking in terms of Stella’s comfort. At almost seven months, her back was starting to bother her and she got tired quickly. Sitting for long periods of time was already proving to be a challenge and she found herself getting restless far quicker than she used to.

“I think the train might be best. At least then you can get up and move around if you need to. You won’t be cramped in a tiny seat with no leg room- well you might be but my whole point is on a train you can wander the carriages, on a plane you can’t.”

Stella agreed, silently grateful for Dana’s thoughtfulness. The journey would be much shorter if they flew and she knew the thought of an entire day of travel didn’t delight her girlfriend. “Thank you.”


	23. Chapter 23

Stella was glad she’d chosen the tank top and joggers to travel in. It was still early in the day but the June heat was already getting to her. As soon as they’d found their seats on the train, she’d stripped off her denim jacket and pulled her straight hair into a high ponytail.

The slightly older couple sitting opposite them were friendly but thankfully as adverse to small talk as she and Dana were. So far, everyone was just basking in the early morning sun, each fending off their tiredness in different ways. Dana had picked up a book and fallen asleep almost immediately, causing Stella to sigh when the book fell to the floor and between her large bump and the table in the way, there was no way for her to retrieve it. She’d thanked the man across from Dana when he had scooped it from the floor and placed it on the small table between them.

The man’s wife was also asleep while he wrote in a notepad. Stella wished she could sleep. It had barely been two weeks since they’d booked the trip but in that time her discomfort had increased more than expected. Her stomach had surprised her with the way it had grown in the space of two weeks and it was already starting to come between her and a good night of sleep. Combined with the heat, Stella had spent most of the night tossing and turning, leaving her incredibly antisocial when the repulsively early alarm had brought Dana back to the land of the waking.

She groaned to herself as she realised that she had to pee yet again, an extremely unwelcome side effect of her pregnancy.

When she returned to her seat, she was surprised to see Dana awake and chatting to the couple, now also both awake,

“Hey, you.” Dana smiled up at her. “You okay?”

“I’m good.” Stella smiled back as she lowered herself into her seat, aware of the woman’s eyes on her.

“Stell, this is Jane and Michael.” Dana introduced and Stella was relieved, she’d been far too tired to register when they’d originally introduced themselves upon leaving London. “My partner Stella.”

“Where are you guys headed? Any special occasion?” Michael asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“Loch Lomond for the weekend.” Stella answered, shifting in her seat as the baby seemed to wake up at the sound of her voice.

“One last holiday before the baby?” Jane asked knowingly.

“Kinda.” Dana answered. “The baby is due just after Stella’s birthday so rather than do something then I thought maybe an early summer break would be a good chance to relax.”

“What do you two do? I was a teacher and Michael here was in law enforcement.” Jane explained. “Still consults on cases every now and then.”

“Really?” Dana exclaimed, causing both Jane and Michael to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “Sorry, Stella’s in law enforcement. I’m a doctor.”

Michael looked at Stella, abandoning his notepad. “Really? What do you do?”

“I work for the Met. Major Crimes.”

“Detective something…” Jane muttered, closing her eyes and clicking her fingers in an attempt to remember something. “I think I saw you on TV a while ago.”

Stella smiled tightly. “Detective Superintendent.”

“Well done. Must’ve put in a lot of hours to get that rank so young.” He sounded impressed or Stella might’ve taken offense, but the usual implications were absent from his tone and she relaxed. “I know a lot of female officers I worked with never got beyond a DC.”

Stella sighed, “I didn’t give them much of a choice in the end. With my case closure rate, passing their exams and training courses with flying colours, eventually they had no reason not to promote me.”

Michael smiled. “They don’t like a confident woman.”

Jane cleared her throat, sensing Stella’s building resistance. “When are you due, love?”

“End of August.”

Jane smiled. “I remember when I was pregnant with our youngest Michael had to bribe me out of the house from around five months onwards. I just had no desire to do anything. Not with three other children in tow anyway.”

Stella managed not to let her face betray her true feelings. At the minute with her backache, occasional pelvic pains, sleepless nights and the constant need to empty her bladder, she couldn’t imagine doing this more than once never mind four times.

“What brings you two away from London?”

“A friend’s retirement party.”

The conversation lulled and Stella was immensely grateful. The couple were lovely, but she just wanted to sleep. She rested her head on Dana’s shoulder and suppressed a sigh when she felt Dana loosen her tight ponytail to play with her hair.

~X~

Stella blinked herself awake and slowly sat up, straightening her stiff back and running a hand through her hair. She looked around and found the three other occupants of their table all engrossed in books.

“Welcome back.” Dana joked as Stella rubbed her face. “We’re about an hour from Glasgow.”

Stella sighed, part in relief and part in annoyance at the urge to pee yet again.

When she returned from the bathroom she saw Dana once again in conversation with Jane and Michael. Clearly they’d noted that Dana was the more talkative of the pair.

“Do you guys know what you’re having?” Jane asked excitedly.

Dana looked at Stella for permission and the blonde nodded subtly but made no move to answer the question as she pushed her hair away from her face.

“It’s a girl. You mentioned earlier you have four kids…”

Jane beamed at the thought. “Three boys and a girl. April was by far the easiest baby. So quiet in comparison to the boys. She always knew how to get exactly what she wanted, even from the moment she was born, but she didn’t shout and scream the way the boys did.”

Stella looked at Dana at the mention of the name. It was one they hadn’t thought of and she made a mental note to mention it the next time they talked about names.

“Have you two got a name yet? You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”

Stella and Dana both shook their heads but it was Stella who answered this time. “Not yet. We have options but I’m fussier than I thought.”

“You have every right to be. Your little girl is gonna have that name for the rest of her life, and you’ll say it more times than you ever thought possible so make sure it’s something you love.”

Stella only smiled and slowly the conversation died again.

~X~

Stella took a deep breath in as she climbed out of their hired car, smiling at the smell of the fresh summer evening air, free from the pollution of London’s city air.

“Oh my god.” Dana breathed as she took in the view. “It’s so pretty.”

“So are you.” Stella grinned as she pulled their bags from the boot and led Dana to the entrance.

They checked in easily and quickly decided that the first thing on the agenda was food, possibly followed by a visit to the pool or a walk along the water.

The visit to the restaurant was uneventful and Dana was amused at how quickly Stella devoured the plate of food in front of her. The blonde had always had a healthy appetite and it was only improving the further into her pregnancy she got.

When they reached the pool, Stella revelled in the weightlessness the water granted her. She was looking forward to meeting her daughter but dreading the intense aches and pains she knew awaited her the nearer she got to her due date.

They swam for almost an hour before Dana noticed Stella lagging and negotiated their return to their suite, promising to run a bath for the blonde if she’d just admit that she was tired from their day of travel.

When they returned to the room, Dana changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and upon turning to face the bed, found Stella curled up on her side asleep. She smiled and crept out onto the balcony overlooking the loch.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had been on a true vacation. It was almost surreal to be here. In an excessively expensive suite instead of a cramped cheap motel room. A holiday instead of a work trip. Her pregnant girlfriend napping on the bed instead of Mulder pacing and trying to persuade her of his theories. It was peaceful. She would admit that sometimes she missed the good times she and Mulder had shared on their travels, but something about this one with Stella was just different. It made her heart ache with love in a way she’d only felt looking at her son.

A wave of guilt hit her at the thought. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she was comparing Stella and Mulder as if she didn’t love them both with her whole heart, in vastly different ways, or if it was the thought of her son. Her mother’s words still ate at her whenever they came to mind.

She sighed and tried to push the thoughts away. It had only been two weeks and there hadn’t been much in the way of communication once Maggie had left London. There had been a few messages with updates on her journey, making sure Dana knew she’d made it home safely but other than that, they hadn’t really spoken.

Dana had no idea how long it had been when her quiet reflection came to an end with the sound of Stella appearing quietly in the doorway. She looked up, glad to see that the blonde looked more rested.

“Are you alright?” Stella asked and moved across the balcony to take the seat at Dana’s side.

Dana nodded. “It’s so peaceful here. I came out so I wouldn’t wake you but I started thinking.”

“Good thinking or bad thinking?” Stella asked, causing Dana to turn to look at her.

“Bit of both, I think.” She turned her attention back to the late evening sun across the water. “I was thinking about my mom, and the travels Mulder and I used to end up on, and how they pale in comparison to this and we’ve only just got here.” Dana shrugged. “The rest wasn’t anything important, really.”

“If it’s on your mind, it’s all important.”

Dana laughed softly. “Even if it’s wondering why I had so many odd socks when I was packing?”

Stella laughed too. “They’re the most important thoughts, those ones. But really, I hope you know that if you need to get anything off your chest, no matter how silly it may seem, I’ll always listen.”

Dana reached over and linked their fingers. “I do. And I hope you know the same.”

“I do.

They both grinned at each other and Dana turned awkwardly to pull Stella’s seat closer to her own, pulling the blonde’s feet into her lap.

“This was a really good idea.” Stella smiled softly. “Thank you.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little shorter but hopefully the content makes up for it? Let me know what you think :)

Stella couldn’t help the easy smile that graced her face as she and Dana sat on the beach by the front of the lodge overlooking the loch. The sun was warm on her face and while dark clouds over the hills seemed to promise thunder later, it was peaceful for now. She leaned back on her hands and stretched her legs out in front of her, looking further down the beach to a wedding party having their photos taken.

“This must be a beautiful place to get married.” Dana commented, her eyes following the same path as Stella’s. “The photos would be fantastic.”

Stella nodded and hummed her agreement, wary of getting into the topic of marriage just yet.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’m not about to propose. It was just an observation.” Dana assured her with a light laugh.

Stella laughed with her and turned her attention away from the wedding party. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh oh.”

“Don’t worry I’m not about to propose to you, either.” Stella grinned. “I’ve been thinking about the baby’s name.”

“Another one to add to the list?”

Stella nodded. “On the train, that couple that sat across from us until Carlisle, they mentioned their daughter’s name is April. It got me thinking about so many other names I hadn’t even considered.”

“It’s pretty.” Dana turned to look at her girlfriend. “I think you need a pretty name for her.

“Why?” Stella frowned in confusion.

Dana shrugged. “Because it’ll take people by surprise when she’s older. She’ll have a pretty face and a pretty name but take no shit from anybody. Like you. Stella is a really pretty name and you don’t shy away from your femininity, but you’re not afraid to put people in their place when they deserve it. It’s unexpected and it makes it even more satisfying.”

Stella let out a small laugh. She couldn’t fault Dana’s reasoning but it wasn’t something she’d ever thought about before. “Why don’t we make a list of ‘pretty’ names after dinner?”

Dana nodded and huffed a small laugh when her stomach rumbled at the mention of dinner. “Speaking of, why don’t we go start getting ready?”

Stella agreed but made no move to get up, watching as Dana stood and brushed the sand from her shorts. She moved in front of Stella and held her hands out to pull the blonde to her feet. Once Stella was standing, Dana brushed the sand from the back of her dress, giving her butt a subtle squeeze as she did.

“Hey, I said dinner.” Stella admonished with a smirk. “Food before sex.”

“Never thought I’d see the day that you would turn down sex in favour of a quiet dinner date in a restaurant.” Dana teased.

“I’m a changed woman.”

Stella let Dana gather their blanket from the floor before she took the redhead’s hand in her own and moved back towards the hotel.

~X~

After dinner, Stella had gladly lost herself in the feeling of Dana’s tongue between her legs, not caring if their neighbours could hear. It brought a fierce blush to the redhead’s face, only slightly placated by the fact that they knew nobody here and would never see them again after their departure the next day.

Dana had still buried her face in the pillow and tried not to make a noise when Stella had returned the favour.

Now, they were on the balcony, watching the storm roll in over the hills. It was barely seven in the evening and despite that it was June, the sky had darkened considerably since they’d left the beach.

Stella sat with a notepad resting on the arm of her chair, making notes of what Dana considered to be pretty names and highlighting the ones she liked and thought would sound good with Danielle.

“I think I have a top ten.” Stella announced once Dana had resorted to scouring Pinterest and suggesting names she was sure were made up.

Dana raised an eyebrow and held out her hand to take the pad. Most of the names highlighted were ones they’d spoken about before and she smiled when she saw Stella’s loopy doodles of each of the names together with ‘Danielle Gibson’ in an attempt to get a feel for how the baby’s full name would flow.

“Mark your favourites.” Stella told her, tossing the pen in her general direction and laughing when it landed nowhere hear the redhead.

Dana retrieved the pen with mock annoyance before she scanned the page, taking in each of the doodles and rolling the names over in her head, noting that Stella hadn’t marked any of them yet.

When she returned the pad, Stella smiled when she saw tiny asterisks next to a few of the names while she had drawn a slightly larger heart beside one of them. She held the notepad up again and tapped a finger by the name. “Your favourite?”

Dana nodded when she saw the name Stella was pointing to and tried to remind herself not to be too upset if it wasn’t the blonde’s favourite too. The baby was Stella’s after all, not hers.

“Mine, too.” Stella beamed. Dana let herself smile, true to recent discoveries, they had quite a similar taste in a lot of things. “I think it’s my favourite out of all of the names we’ve looked at. I really like it.”

“Think you can imagine yourself repeating it a million times a week for the rest of your life?” Dana asked teasingly. “Without growing to hate it, that is?”

Stella was quiet as she thought seriously about it. She hadn’t yet found a name she loved as much as she did this one and the more she pictured it belonging to her tiny baby, the more she loved it.

Dana felt her heart swell at the sight of the growing smile on Stella’s face.

“I think we just named our baby.” Stella’s voice was softer than Dana had ever heard it and it brought tears to her eyes.

Stella noticed quickly and moved to hug her girlfriend, unable to contain her own emotions but swiftly blaming it on the hormones. The tears spilled over and she laughed at herself when Dana cradled her head and she was pulled into the redhead’s lap.

They were separated when Stella jumped out of her skin at a bright flash almost immediately followed by a loud clap of thunder. She laughed at herself again and gripped Dana’s jaw, pressing a hot kiss to her mouth before she climbed out of her lap.

“Let’s watch from inside.”

Dana nodded and followed Stella back into their suite, lying back on the bed and staring out the window at the lightening display taking place over the loch.

~X~

Dana couldn’t stop her mind from spinning as she lay awake in bed. Stella was fast asleep next to her and it was barely four in the morning, but so far she’d only managed to catch a couple of hours of restless dozing.

“I can hear you thinking again.” Stella mumbled as she rolled over, apologising when Dana startled at the sound of her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, exactly.” Dana began and rolled to face Stella.

“But?”

“Earlier you… earlier you said, ‘I think we just named our baby’.”

Stella understood immediately. “You want to know why I said it.”

It wasn’t a question but Dana nodded anyway, grateful that Stella didn’t move to turn the lamp on. It would be starting to get light outside soon anyway.

“Both of us have made it clear that we’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave you; you’ve said you’re not going to leave me. We spend some portion of every day together. You helped with the nursery, you came to my appointment, you took care of me when I was unwell. You even took me shopping for new clothes. You’ve done more than her father would if he was alive. You helped me pick out the perfect name for her, and you brought me on holiday because you knew that one way or the other I’d be too tired to celebrate my birthday. She feels like our baby. She is our baby. Just because you’re not her father, or because we’ve been together months instead of years, it doesn’t negate everything you’ve done for us, and continue to do. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll stop.”

Dana shook her head quickly, tears streaming from her eyes. “I love you both so much.”

Stella reached over and pulled her girlfriend into her arms, holding her tight. She smiled when she felt Dana’s hand come to rest on her bump, rubbing soft circles through her t-shirt.


	25. Chapter 25

Stella groaned in relief as she dropped down onto her bed, vaguely aware of Dana doing the same beside her. Their day had been painfully long with delay after delay on the train followed by the fight with London rush hour traffic to get back to Stella’s house.

They were both exhausted and Stella’s back screamed every time she moved an inch. Three hours ago, Dana had suggested a bath when they got home in an attempt to soothe her muscles but now that she was lying down, there was nothing short of a disaster that would get her back on her feet.

The sounds of Dana lifting herself from the bed and shuffling around the room caught Stella’s attention, but she didn’t open her eyes until she felt Dana standing over her. She looked up to find the redhead standing beside the bed, holding one hand out to her.

“I know you’re too tired for a bath but sit up.”

Stella took the offered hand and pulled herself into a sitting position. She allowed Dana to peel off her t-shirt and bra before lifting her hips to allow her to remove her leggings and place a thick towel under her. She eyed the basin on the floor by her feet in confusion, unsure of what Dana had in store.

“It’s not much.” Dana began once Stella was naked in front of her. “But I know you’re way too hot and your back is sore, and that you’d kill for a shower but have no energy to go for one. So just let me take care of you, okay?”

Stella nodded. She flinched when the cool material of the washcloth came into contact with her hot skin but almost immediately sighed at the sensation of the water running down her back. She stayed still and let Dana run the cool cloth all over her. When the redhead was done, she dipped the cloth in the cold water once more and wrung it out a little before leaving it on the back of Stella’s neck.

Stella had long since closed her eyes and she focused on the feeling of a dry towel drying her back. The next thing she noticed was the smell. Before she could say anything, Dana gave her an answer.

“I found these online, they’re apparently some kinda special maternity massage oils. I’m not sure what the difference is, but either way, they’re massage oils.”

Stella smiled at Dana’s thoughtfulness and then let out a combined moan of pain and relief when the redhead’s hands pressed into the tight knots of her lower back. Her breath caught in her throat as Dana worked on a particularly painful spot.

“If I can’t handle a train ride how the fuck am I going to manage contractions and pushing?”

“Because at the end of it all, you’ll have a baby.” Dana answered softly. “And I’m not sure what your thoughts or plans are around the birth yet… But hospitals these days give you a lot more freedom to move around and listen to your body than they used to. They’re happy to let you stand and move as you need to, walk the halls and they’ll support you in pretty much any position so long as both you and Baby are safe. Unless you’ve had an epidural of course but that’s different.”

Stella wasn’t sure if she’d gone tense because of the sharp stab of pain she felt under Dana’s thumb or at the thought of giving birth. She’d been pointedly avoiding thinking about the specifics of it ever since she’d found out she was pregnant and with Dana’s comment it was only now dawning on her that she’d have to think about it soon.

“We have time.”

Three words and a soft peck to her bare shoulder were all it took to soothe Stella and she let out a hum at the feeling of Dana’s hands moving to less tender muscles near her shoulder blades.

~X~

Stella rolled her eyes when she saw Chris’ smirk as he waited outside her office. He pushed off of the wall as she approached but kept quiet until she unlocked the door and let him follow her in.

“You look refreshed.”

“We say what we mean in this office, Christopher.” Stella told him with a playful grin.

“I mean it! You look refreshed.” Chris exclaimed before adding. “And well fucked.”

Stella rolled her eyes as she lowered herself into her seat behind her desk. Chris laughed and sat across from her. “Really, though, you look like the break did you good. How was it?”

“It was really good. We didn’t do much, just stayed around the hotel and the beach, but it was good to get away. I didn’t realise how much I needed it.”

“What? Like you don’t have sex at home?”

Stella laughed. “Oh we do. But actually if you must know the whole weekend was not about sex. It was just good to relax and not think about one of us having work the next day. We spent Saturday on the beach and then Sunday we went to a local pub for lunch and walked around the village. Accidentally made friends with a couple who got married there on the Saturday. We didn’t do much but that was the whole point of going somewhere peaceful…” Stella trailed off and felt a smile grow on her face as she felt her daughter kick. “We named the baby.”

Chris smiled back at her. “You deserve it all. Am I allowed to know my future godchild’s name?”

Stella shook her head with a laugh. “Who said anything about making you godfather?”

Chris smirked at her. “Like you have anyone else to ask. Besides, you’re godmother to all three of my kids’, the least you could do is return the favour once.”

Stella let out another small laugh. “Okay, personal lives aside. What had you waiting outside my door first thing on a Tuesday morning? Because I know you didn’t care _that_ much about my weekend.”

Chris nodded and sighed. “I have a case that I want you to take the lead on. It’s pretty open and shut, but everyone else is snowed under at the minute.”

Stella took a minute to observe him, leaning back in her chair. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“The new pathologist is a transfer back to London from Belfast. Someone mentioned that you two had a, uh, _moment_ , before you came home.”

It was Stella’s turn to sigh. “One Professor Tanya Reed-Smith I presume?”

“That would be the one. Anything I should know?”

Stella shook her head. “Not really. I kissed her in a bar when a solicitor trying to impose himself on her wouldn’t take the hint. Kissed her again once he was gone. She nearly came up to my hotel room but changed her mind waiting for the elevator. Gave me some line about being from Croydon and after that it was business as usual. Nothing actually happened.”

She was thankful when Chris said he’d her the morning to get acquainted with the case and then disappeared back to his own office. It wasn’t that Tanya’s presence in London would be a problem, but given the awkwardness of their most recent encounter in Belfast, she wasn’t sure how the pathologist would take the news of her pregnancy and the fact that she and Dana were more committed than ever. Really, she wasn’t sure what had even caused the awkwardness in Belfast, she could only hope that they were both professional enough to work around it.

~X~

“Come in, I’ll just be a second.”

Tanya was engrossed in her paperwork and didn’t look up when Stella knocked on the door of her office. She heard the noise of chunky heels on the floor as her guest entered but thought nothing of it. When she finally closed the file and looked up she froze.

She hadn’t been expecting anyone. But she certainly hadn’t expected to see Stella Gibson in her office with her arms folded over a large baby bump, still teetering on ridiculous heels, even if they were no longer stilettos.

“Stella.”

Stella smiled softly and moved to the couch to take the weight off of her feet. “Hi. Sorry to show up unannounced. If you’re busy I can go.”

Tanya shook her head. “I have time. I just wasn’t expecting to see you, much less see you pregnant. What brings you here?”

“The Foley case.”

“Ah.” Tanya nodded in understanding. “They told me the lead detective was out for the weekend but they didn’t tell me it was you. I just sent my report to your boss five minutes ago. Isn’t this a little under your usual radar?”

“Apparently the officers who would usually take this kind of case are ‘snowed under’ in Chris’ words. Part of me suspects that this is his way of reducing my duties unofficially.”

Stella followed Tanya down the hallway and wondered if there was a reason Chris had withheld her name when talking to Tanya before. She’ seen the questions swirling in Tanya’s eyes before they left her office and she knew it was almost unavoidable that at some point or another, she’d have to provide answers.

“Chris said the case was looking to be open and shut. What can you tell me?”

Tanya pulled out two bodies from the wall for Stella to view. “I’d agree. Seems like a murder-suicide. Mrs Janice Foley, fifty three. Two stab wounds to the abdomen, three to the chest. One of which narrowly missed her heart. Also a slit throat and defensive wounds on her hands.”

Stella took a deep breath, surprised at the way her stomach turned when her eyes fell on the woman’s wounds. She moved closer to the man’s body and Tanya took the hint.

“Mr Harold Foley, age sixty. Has marks consistent with a struggle on his hands, arms and face. Slit his own throat.”

Stella sighed and folded her arms again as she looked over the couple. “This is why I said I’d never marry.”

Tanya raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she returned the bodies and closed the door. As they walked back towards her office Stella took a breath to speak only to be interrupted by her phone. She answered without looking at the caller ID.

“Gibson. Sorry, love. Sounds perfect, I’ll see you soon.” Stella could feel the awkward tension rolling off of Tanya but refused to acknowledge it as she turned to look at the pathologist.

“How about we get that coffee soon if you have time? I have to go but let me know if you’re free.”

Tanya nodded wordlessly as she watched Stella go. She didn’t move until the blonde was out of sight. She’d hoped when she moved back to London that she’d have time to get back on her feet before she encountered Stella again. No such luck apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments on the last chapter! Let me know what you think of this one :D


	26. Chapter 26

It was easy to spot Tanya as soon as she entered the coffee shop and Stella stood to greet her. The awkwardness made her want to roll her eyes. There was no need really. It wasn’t as though anything had really happened between them, but clearly, Tanya was reading into it all much more than she was.

“I don’t know how you’re still going in those heels.” Tanya nodded to the boots on Stella’s feet.

Stella huffed a small laugh. “That’s what everyone is saying. I’m not sure I will be for much longer but for now I’m not sure I’m ready to reveal my true height to everyone I work with.”

Tanya laughed. “It’s not that bad. Though everyone will feel the need to comment on how short you are.”

It was the ice breaker they needed Stella thought as they laughed, there was barely an inch in their height difference and it sounded like Tanya was talking from experience.

“How far along are you?”

“Thirty weeks now. I’m due at the end of August.”

Tanya nodded and Stella could see the moment the realisation dawned on her. Thankfully, the doctor said nothing and Stella felt herself relax a little more. “What brought you back to London?”

“Divorce.” Tanya sighed. “Turns out most husbands don’t like it when you go around kissing detectives in hotel bars.”

“I’m sorry.” Whether it was about the divorce or for her actions, Stella couldn’t tell, but it felt like the right thing to say.

Tanya shook her head quickly and put down her coffee. “Don’t be. It was a long time coming, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. I told him you were in a relationship but somehow that only made it worse.”

Tanya’s self-depreciating chuckle brought a soft sigh from Stella. “I’m sorry for how awkward this all is. I’m not even sure why, to be honest. I thought I was okay with it all. We were fine before you left…”

“But then I came back a week later with Dana.” Stella finished. She knew her next questions may come across as blunt, but she couldn’t be bothered dancing around the real issues. “What is it about my relationship that makes you feel awkward around me? Is it that I’m with her at all? Or is it that you think I was going to use you while I was with her?”

Tanya’s mouth opened and shut a few times as she tried to gather a response. Stella’s bluntness had surprised her but she wasn’t sure why, the blonde always had been direct.

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable that you’re in a relationship with a woman.” She clarified. “I think it made me uncomfortable that you brought about a… realisation, in me that I thought I’d buried a long time ago. _And_ I don’t like being the other woman either.”

Stella hadn’t expected Tanya to say that. She’d always assumed that Tanya was straight, especially after she’d walked away in the hotel. But the remark about Croydon did make a little more sense now. If Tanya had been questioning her sexuality when she was younger, her surroundings and the opinion of her parents would have influenced her greatly. Now she was left with lifelong doubts.

“It’s difficult.” Stella replied softly. “But, you weren’t the other woman. I met Dana the same day I got home from Belfast, later that night. I was single when I was here for work. I may not have put much thought into other people’s relationships in the past, but I’d never jeopardise my own.”

“Didn’t it bother you? The problems you could cause in a marriage?”

Stella sighed and shook her head. “Not my problem. If a married man ended up in my hotel room, it was rarely the first time he’d stepped out on his wife. And whether it was or wasn’t, the cracks were already in the foundations. The way I see it, the wives either knew what he was doing, and didn’t care or couldn’t bring themselves to do anything about it. Or, they were heading for disaster anyway. It’s not my responsibility to save someone else’s marriage. If they don’t value their vows enough to stick to them, that’s not on me.”

It was obvious that Tanya wasn’t sure how she felt about the answer.

“Tanya if someone stopped me because they were married, I’d accept that. I never forced anyone into something they didn’t want to do. They never stayed long enough for me to care about whether or not they woke up to regret it. Rarely did they ever even know my name and I never gave them my number much less saw them again.” Stella sighed. “I can see that it makes you uncomfortable.”

“You’re right though.”

Tanya was quick to change the subject after that and they finished their beverages talking about Tanya’s daughters.

~X~

Stella was relieved when she pulled up to the crime scene cordon and found that Dana’s car was nowhere in sight. Her heart had dropped when Chris had appeared in her office and dropped the news that Dana’s next-door neighbour had been found dead under suspicious circumstances.

Her relief didn’t last long as the first responding officer was brought to her when she ducked under the police tape. “What can you tell me?”

“White female in her late thirties, early forties. Cause of death seems to be a head wound. There’s signs of a struggle, the front door was forced open though it looks like they tried the back first. The couple across the road called when they saw a figure wandering through the gardens, jumping the walls and trying the front doors. We got here and found the door open.”

“Thank you.” Stella watched the officer walk away before she turned and her eyes fell on Dana’s house, firmly inside the cordon. Before she could do anything else, she heard the familiar engine noise of Dana’s car as she came to a stop further up the street.

“Ma’am you can’t-”

“It’s alright.” Stella interrupted the officer. “She lives here.”

“Stella, what the fuck is going on?” Dana exclaimed, her voice betraying the panic she hid from her face.

Stella sighed. “Your neighbour’s house was broken into. She was attacked.”

“She’s dead isn’t she?” Dana realised. There was no other reason that Stella would be at the crime scene.

Stella had her signed into the scene and led her straight to her front door. “Pack yourself a bag and go to my house. Don’t stay here. If you want to stay until the investigation is over that’s more than okay with me. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home, but I will be at some point. If you need anything, call me.”

Dana nodded and moved inside. She was surprised but not shocked by the feeling of unease that came as she stepped through the door. She left it open, glad that the street outside was swarming with police officers. And Stella. She knew the fear she felt now was irrational. There was no way the man who had killed her neighbour was still in the area much less her house, but the thought of someone trying to gain entry to her house was chilling.

She moved quickly, throwing items into a large gym bag. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she forgot anything. Stella would have most of the essentials and anything the blonde didn’t have was easily bought. Dana sighed. She knew the street wouldn’t be a crime scene forever, but right now she wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

~X~

It was nearing midnight when Stella finally got home, and the house was silent. The lamp by the front door was on but from what she could see, the rest of the lights were off. She stepped out of her heels and quietly left her bag on the floor before making her way up the stairs to find her girlfriend.

Stella’s heart melted when she pushed the bedroom door open to see Dana slumped against her pillows, her book fallen to her lap, asleep with the bedside lamp still on. She smiled and moved around to Dana’s side of the bed to carefully place the book on the nightstand.

Dana startled awake with a small gasp but relaxed immediately upon seeing blonde hair. “Hey.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Stella said softly as she rounded the bed to her own side and started getting ready for bed.

Dana yawned and shuffled further down in bed. She reached over to turn her lamp out, leaving Stella’s to cast the room in a dim light. “I know you can’t say much, but what happened?”

Stella sighed as she threw her hair up into a messy knot and climbed into bed, turning off the lamp. She pulled Dana closer, missing the times when it was possible to easily rest her chin on the redhead’s shoulder.

“From what we can tell so far, a man was making his way along the street, checking the front and back doors of each house. When he reached Marilyn’s, he managed to get in. She put up a fight and died of a head injury.”

“Is there any way of knowing who it was?”

Stella bit her lip to calm her anxiety. “I want you to stay here until we find him.” She barely gave Dana a moment to process her statement before she continued. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But if you want to go home, I’d feel a lot better if we got you some stronger locks for both doors and all of the windows. I know you rent but given the circumstances, I’m sure your landlord wouldn’t mind.”

Dana shook her head. “I’ll stay here. I don’t want to go home.”

“You don’t have to.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little shorter I'm afraid but I hope the content makes up for it?

Dana sat at the island, her chin resting in her hand and watched Stella move around the kitchen preparing dinner. She had been staying with her girlfriend for a week already and it had surprised her just how flawlessly they had fallen into a routine of working around each other. Tonight was the first time all week that Stella had been home before ten PM and she had insisted on cooking dinner as a thank you for the meals Dana had been preparing for her since the start of the case.

Dana’s house was no longer in the middle of a crime scene, and her landlord had quickly agreed to replace all of her current locks, but she had no desire to leave the safety and warmth of Stella’s home yet. The closer the blonde got to her due date, the more Dana’s anxiety over it increased.

Stella was only just in her eighth month, with nine weeks still to go, but Dana couldn’t help letting her mind wander to what would happen when the blonde did eventually go into labour. Her biggest worry would be that she would be stuck at work while Stella was at home, unable to get to her phone. She’d already requested a few days off around Stella’s due date, but with how unpredictable birth was, especially with a first baby, she’d be astounded if the baby was on time.

“Stell?” Stella hummed in reply as she focused on the frying pan. “I know you’ve been putting it off but have you thought at all about what happens when you go into labour?”

Stella paused and Dana could’ve sworn she saw the blonde deflate a little. She wasn’t surprised when Stella’s attention stayed on their food as she answered. “Not really. Like you said, I’ve been putting it off. But I will admit it’s been in the back of my mind recently.”

“Let me know when you want to talk about it.”

Stella smiled appreciatively at her girlfriend. She was more scared than she’d like to admit by the thought of giving birth and she was aware that Dana likely saw right through her. There were still a handful of essentials they had to buy, most importantly and at the very least, a car seat. The baby’s closet was already starting to fill with clothes, tiny outfits that she and Dana had been unable to resist buying when they stumbled across them in shops.

“Will you stay with me?” Stella’s voice was uncertain and she surprised herself with the lack of confidence. “After the baby’s born? Just for a little while, I’m not sure I’ll know what to do with her, and you’ve done it before.”

Dana stood and moved to wrap her arms around Stella, her hands cradling her large bump. “Of course. I told you before, I won’t leave you to do this alone.”

Stella relaxed into Dana’s hold and reached to turn off the gas beneath the pan. “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me.”

Dinner was filled with chatter about their week, purposely avoiding all talk of Dana’s house. Neither wanted to be the one to broach the subject of the redhead’s departure.

Before Dana could object, Stella was on her feet and had moved their empty plates to the sink, abandoning them there as she moved back to her girlfriend’s side. Dana turned to look up at her and allowed her eyes to flutter closed as Stella cupped her jaw and pulled her into a kiss.

“I missed you this week.” It was barely a whisper against Dana’s lips but she felt the words squeeze her heart.

“I’m right here.”

“I want you to stay.” Stella pulled back a little and tucked a strand of red hear away from blue eyes. “Move in with me?”

Dana smiled and nodded before she could truly process the request. “Of course.”

Stella let out a relieved laugh and her forehead dropped to meet Dana’s. She felt one of Dana’s hands in her hair, the other coming to rest on the curve of her stomach.

“I’m glad you asked.” Dana said softly. “I didn’t wanna go home.”

Stella pressed a soft kiss to her lips before she pulled away. “As much as I’d love to celebrate properly, my back is fucking killing me.”

Dana let out a small laugh and stood, pulling Stella towards the stairs. “What you need, babe, is a hot shower and maybe a face mask.”

She hadn’t realised what she’d said until Stella raised an eyebrow with an amused smile on her face. Before she could even think of an apology, the blonde waved it off. “I like it.”

Without another word, they headed upstairs and Dana turned the shower on while Stella undressed. She was about to return to the bedroom to find something to watch when Stella’s voice cut her off yet again. “Where do you think you’re going? Get in here.”

With a smile, Dana quickly stripped herself of her clothes and moved into the shower. She quickly found the body wash and allowed Stella to pour it into her cupped hands before they swapped places. The blonde let out a sigh when she felt her girlfriend’s hands on her body, gently working the lavender scented gel into a lather.

Stella let out a quiet moan at the attention Dana gave to her breasts. “I know what I said before…”

She didn’t have to say anything else before Dana moved her under the water, rinsing the soap from Stella’s body before carefully pushing her until her back met the tiles. She kept one hand on Stella’s waist for support as the other moved downwards, coming to rest between her thighs.

Stella gasped at the feeling of Dana stroking her and let her head fall back against the wall. It wasn’t long before she was breathing heavily, Dana taking most of her weight as she came hard and fast.

Once the blonde had recovered, Dana let out a soft laugh. “That was quick.”

“Needed it more than I thought.” Stella breathed as she switched their positions.

With the shower over, Dana sat back against the headboard of the bed with Stella curled into her side. Their legs intertwined and Stella’s bump resting against Dana’s front, her head tucked against her shoulder with the redhead’s arm around her. It felt like an age since they’d been able to truly relax like this.

The room was quiet save for the sounds coming from the tv. One of Stella’s hands rested on her stomach, her fingers drawing circles in an attempt to soothe her active daughter. She wasn’t sure if it was normal for the kicks to cause so much pain in her ribs or whether it was the broken state they had been in recently, but either way she was hoping the baby would sleep soon.

Dana lifted her head and tried to sit back in attempt to look at Stella when she let out a small gasp. “You okay?”

Stella nodded and sighed. “She keeps kicking my ribs.”

The redhead sighed sympathetically, wishing she could help. “You need to move?”

The blonde shook her head and drew Dana in close again. “We’re good here.”

The idea of facemasks had been long abandoned but neither of them cared as they lay together, grateful that for once, neither one was working.

“We can decorate if you want?” Stella suggested without looking up. “Make it more our place than mine. At very least we can make some space for your things.”

“We don’t have to decorate.” Dana told her. “I really like your house. I’ll call my landlord in the morning.”

“Let me know when you want to pick up your things. We can move some of mine and then I’ll see if I can bribe Chris into lending me his car since it’s bigger than either of ours.”

Dana laughed. “Or we could just hire a removal company. They even come with extra manpower.”

Stella thought it over. “We can look at prices if you want but it’s a waste of money when we’re perfectly capable, I think.”

Dana kept her mouth closed, unwilling to argue over something so trivial. Stella was in no state to be lugging furniture, boxes and bags around all day, but at the very least she knew that Chris would gladly offer his help if they asked to borrow his car.

She’d met him a handful of times and he was easy to get along with, almost like a male version of Stella in some ways, if a little more open. She had yet to meet his wife and two of his children but she’d met the eldest on his birthday when she’d gone with Stella to drop off his present.

“I think I’m gonna call my mom tomorrow.”

Stella’s eyebrows raised in surprise as she waited for Dana to continue. She knew the redhead had been flirting with the idea for a while but she hadn’t expected it to come this soon. She was still working to forgive Maggie for her outburst and the lack of contact since her mother’s departure had only served to rub salt in the wound.

“I might not tell her I’m moving in just yet. Or I might. I’ll see how it goes.” Dana shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. “I miss talking to her. I want her to be part of our lives, but only if she’s going to accept us. I won’t have her making comments like that every time we speak.”

“You know I’m here, whatever happens.”

Dana said nothing but pulled Stella impossibly closer as she selected another movie, knowing they’d likely be asleep before the end.


	28. Chapter 28

“I spoke to my mom the other day.”

Stella looked up from her place packing Dana’s clothes into cases, her eyebrows raised in surprise. She’d been wondering when the two would speak again. “How did it go?”

Dana sighed. “It was awkward, but okay. We didn’t talk about it really. She told me about her fourth of July plans, asked if I had any, asked about work. Then she told me that she’d had Matthew come to stay for a few nights. That was it really. I didn’t tell her about our vacation or moving just yet. I will but I just wanted to have one conversation with her before giving her more ammunition.”

Stella turned to look at her girlfriend, ensuring she had the redhead’s attention before she spoke. “There’s no rush, love. Tell her when you’re ready and when it feels right. I won’t push you into anything.”

“I know. Thank you.”

They were interrupted by the sound of Chris’ car pulling up outside. He’d been running back and forward between the two houses all morning, taking boxes of Dana’s belongings and depositing them in Stella’s living room for them to sort out later. If they’d worked it out correctly, this would be the last trip, both Stella and Dana’s cars were in the process of being packed too.

“You two got any plans tonight or do I not want to know?” Chris asked as he picked up a heavy case.

“Sleep.” Stella answered immediately. “Then maybe food.”

Dana laughed softly and nodded. “What she said. Unpacking can wait until tomorrow.”

It hadn’t taken much convincing to get her to take a few days off work to move. Really it meant owing a colleague a favour further down the line. Her shifts were awkward and if she hadn’t taken time off it would have meant making the move off the back of a long night at work.

It wasn’t long before the house was rid of Dana’s belongings. Despite the fact that most of the furniture remained and it was now July, it felt cold and empty without Dana’s personal touches.

“Hey, don’t get all emotional on me. It’s not like I’m leaving you. It’s the exact opposite.” Dana laughed when she noticed Stella staring at the bare walls.

Stella snapped out of it and smiled before moving to her girlfriend’s side. “I’ll see you at home.”

Dana couldn’t help but grin at the words, staring after Stella as the blonde headed to her car and started the engine. She watched as both Stella and Chris drove away before she turned to look back at her house. She was happy to be moving in with Stella but it still felt odd to be leaving the only place she’d had to call home for the last few years. With a sigh, she pulled the front door closed and made sure it was locked before sliding the keys through the letterbox as per her landlord’s request.

By the time she pushed the front door of Stella’s house – their house – open, Chris had finished unloading the two cars and was bidding goodbye to the blonde. Dana thanked him as he passed on his way out, promising to buy him a drink sometime.

Before she could go any further she was hit with the smell of pizza and she chuckled to herself as she moved to find Stella. The blonde was standing in front of the oven, watching it as if staring would cook her food faster.

“I changed my mind. Food then sleep. I hope that’s okay.” Stella explained as she finally tore her gaze from the oven.

Dana nodded with a smile and pulled Stella into a tight hug. When they parted she 3noticed the concerned frown on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to hug you. This is a big step for us both, I’m just glad you trust me enough to let me in.”

“Of course I trust you.” Stella assured her, pushing a strand of red hair out of Dana’s face. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Before either woman could speak again, Dana’s phone broke the silence. Stella watched as she disappeared to find the device and then turned back to watching her pizza cook.

When Dana returned she was quiet and yet again Stella was filled with concern. She didn’t get as far as asking what had happened when Dana planted herself at the kitchen island and sighed.

“Mom knows now.” Stella raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to say. “She took it better than I expected her to. She’s still really awkward about the whole thing but apparently she’s been talking to Mulder. For once he’s being the rational one.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? He can help her see that it doesn’t change who you are?”

Dana nodded. “It will be. I just wish we could skip ahead to the point where we can talk like we used to. Or even just close. Doesn’t have to be perfect, just better than this would be nice.”

“I’m sorry, love.”

Dana shook her head quickly as Stella removed the pizza from the oven. “Don’t you dare. None of this is your fault. To be honest I believe we have you to thank for the fact that we’re talking at all.”

Stella said nothing but gave Dana a soft smile and plated up the pizza before adding a large side salad to both plates. “It’ll get better.”

~X~

For once, it wasn’t Stella that was stomping around the bedroom in a mood. Dana was moving around the room, letting doors slam closed and grabbing things with more strength than necessary.

All Stella could focus on, though, was the angry pout that had fallen across Dana’s face in between bouts of ranting. She sat on the bed, watching Dana and willing herself not to laugh. Something told her that now was not the time to point out how cute her girlfriend was. She still didn’t know what it was that had caused the grumpy fit, but she knew it wasn’t too serious.

“I just don’t get why they can’t just close the fucking door. They close it over, but don’t let it latch. What’s the fucking point? If you’re gonna make the effort to let it close over, why not just close the door. Like normal people do?”

That was it. Before Stella could stop herself, a small huff of laughter escaped her lips and Dana whipped around to look at her. “It’s not fucking funny, Stella. If I go one more damn shift without even managing a nap I might actually kill one of them and make it look like an accident.”

“I know. I know it’s not funny. Please don’t hate me for this, but you’re cute when you’re mad like this.” Stella admitted, knowing there was a risk of Dana turning on her. Luckily the redhead’s anger seemed to lessen at the remark and she gave a slight smile. “They’re students, just tell them to stop. I’m sure when you were in med school you did things that made the doctors and nurses want to kill you, too.”

Dana actually laughed at the statement and Stella smiled with her. “I probably came close to being decapitated for asking too many questions all the time.”

It was probably true, Stella realised as she imagined a young Dana Scully, determined to gather as much knowledge and expertise from her mentors as possible, likely driving them insane in the process.

“What shall we start on first?” Stella asked, steering the subject towards the plethora of yet to be unpacked boxes all over the house. It had been a week and so far, the only unpacked items were Dana’s clothes.

Dana thought for what seemed like an eternity. Most of her belongings would end up mixed with Stella’s. Her books on the bookshelf in the living room, her art replacing some of Stella’s, her bedsheets and bath towels adding to the piles in the laundry cupboard.

“Why not just pick a box and start from there?” Dana suggested, unable to decide which boxes would be easiest.

Stella nodded and without another word, headed for the door, leaving Dana to follow her.

Three hours later Stella was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bedroom, surrounded by mountains of folded bedsheets. She had no idea how she’d accumulated so many of her own, but with Dana’s now added to the mix it had become clear that they’d need to part ways with some of them. Dana was downstairs, combining their book collections and had given Stella her blessing to throw out as many or as little of her sheets as she saw fit.

She leaned back on one hand, the other rubbing her stomach as she looked over the sea of sheets in front of her. Somehow it seemed like there was more mess now than when she had started. She was grateful when the ringing of a phone disturbed her, only praying it wasn’t her work one.

Looking around the room she was surprised to see that it was Dana’s phone ringing and not her own. Stretching to reach the nightstand, she picked up the phone and hit the answer button when she saw Mulder’s caller ID with an incoming FaceTime.

“Hey.”

_“You’re not Scully.”_

Stella laughed at his joke. “I’m not but if you give me a moment I’ll take you to find her.”

Stella raised an eyebrow and shot him a playful glare as she used the bed to heave herself to her feet. “Not a word.”

“ _I wasn’t gonna say anything.”_ Mulder smirked. “ _How are you anyway_?”

Stella smiled at him. In the months since Dana’s birthday they’d talked on a few occasions when he’d called Dana. “I’m good, thank you. Fucking huge and tired but I’m good. How are you?”

_“I’m good. Nothing really to report. How long have you got left?”_

“Seven weeks until my due date.” Stella replied, still unable to believe it was so close already.

Dana looked up at the sound of Stella’s voice and frowned in confusion when she realised she was on the phone. She was even more confused when she heard Mulder’s voice as he replied to the blonde.

“Okay here she is. I’ll see you later.”

_“Bye Stella. Good luck if I don’t talk to you before the kid comes.”_

“Thanks.” Stella smiled before she handed over the phone and then went in search of food.

~X~

Stella sighed happily as she got ready for bed. Dana was finally finished her run of nightshifts and she couldn’t wait to fall asleep next to her again. It was no secret that she slept better when they were together, and with sleep being hard to come by with her ever-increasing levels of discomfort, she would take any help she could get.

When she returned to the bedroom, she found Dana standing awkwardly by the bed, attempting to hide something behind her back. “What are you doing?”

“I got you something. I know you’ve been finding it hard to get comfortable at night – sometimes in general – and I thought this might help.”

Stella’s eyes widened in surprise when Dana produced a giant pregnancy pillow from behind her back. “When did you get this?”

“This morning on my way home from work. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.” Dana shrugged as she handed it over. “And don’t worry, I’m fully prepared for that thing to take my place for the next couple months at least.”

“It won’t, I promise.” Stella shook her head adamantly. Before Dana could reply, she added, “It can’t make food as good as yours.”

The two of them laughed as they climbed into bed, Stella revelling in the support the new cushion offered. Dana reached over and pressed a kiss to her forehead before settling down under the covers.


	29. Chapter 29

Stella held in an irritated groan as she leaned back in her chair. It was almost two in the afternoon and the endless meetings she’d been stuck in all morning had meant she hadn’t managed to take a break for lunch. It annoyed her even more that her superiors were now refusing to give her any real cases for fear of her going into labour and having to hand the case off to another officer before it was closed. She had a few reviews on the go but they were simple cases of detectives cutting corners and general incompetency.

A knock at the door grabbed her attention and she turned to see Dana standing holding up a bag of food. “Someone told me you hadn’t had a chance to eat and were terrifying the PCs.”

Stella let out a small laugh, well aware that her patience had been short in the last meeting. “I should probably send out an email to apologise.”

Dana moved into the office and placed the bag on the desk, allowing Stella to peer at the food inside. She sat down and told the blonde to help herself, smiling at the barely contained glee Stella was exhibiting.

Stella was halfway through her food when she paused, her fork halfway to her mouth and looked across at Dana with confusion on her face. The redhead stared back at her, waiting for whatever question was on her mind.

“When did Chris get your number?”

“When you were unable to stay upright for more than a few hours at a time. The time he brought you home from work and you almost fainted when you got in the door. Once you were on the couch I gave him my number just in case you got ill at work. He never used it until he was helping us move my things.”

Stella only hummed in response, continuing with her lunch. She was beyond grateful for Dana’s visit and found she didn’t care about the questions it would raise. Her pregnancy had gotten enough people talking though given her reputation nobody had seemed surprised. A lunch date at work with her girlfriend would _really_ get people talking though.

“Thank you for coming.”

Dana smiled softly. “You need to eat. And I always like to see you.” Her eyes lowered to the floor at the comment and she caught sight of Stella’s heels kicked to the side and laughed. “When are you going to give up on those damn heels?”

Stella rolled her eyes playfully. “Who says I am?”

“You, every night when you get home.” Dana pointed out.

Stella knew she was right. She was glad that most of her work was done sitting down nowadays, the heels spent most of their time cast aside and abandoned until she had to move between meetings.

“You’re thirty four weeks pregnant, Stell. I don’t think anyone would give a shit, or even notice, if you wore flats for a few weeks.”

“But I like your foot rubs.” Stella pouted causing Dana to bark out a laugh.

“If you want a foot rub you only have to ask. Don’t go torturing yourself all day first.”

Stella finished her food and abandoned the container on her desk, leaning back in her chair again. The thought of putting her heels back on even just to go home later made her groan and Dana raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t want to put the shoes back on.” Stella admitted, glaring at the offending items.

“Lucky for you, I also brought you something else.” Dana held up another bag and Stella took it with a confused frown despite having a good idea of what it contained.

“Did you buy these?”

Dana watched Stella pull out the comfortable black flats, simple but smart, and nodded. “I saw them on my way and thought you might appreciate at least having the backup option.”

“What the fuck did I do to deserve you?” Stella asked as she rounded the desk to pull Dana into a hug. “Thank you.”

Before Dana could say anything else, the office phone rang, causing the blonde to answer with a scowl, an irritated sharpness in her tone. “Sorry, of course. I’ll be right there.”

She sighed as she turned to look at Dana. The last thing she wanted was to cut their impromptu lunch date short but duty called. “I’m sorry. I wish I had more time.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dana brushed off the apology as she gathered up the remainder of their containers to dispose of. “It was good to see you, let me know when you’re on your way home.”

Stella nodded and watched her go before slipping her feet into the blissfully flat shoes she’d been gifted. She grabbed her work phone, sliding it into her pocket next to her private one and lifted her keys before making her way out of the office.

~X~

Dana looked up from her book at the sound of Stella returning home. It threw her off when she didn’t hear the tell-tale noise of heels on the hardwood floor but she smiled when she realised it meant Stella was using her new shoes. She listened as Stella abandoned her keys on the table near the door and dropped her bag and heels at the bottom of the stairs before she appeared in the living room.

“It’s too fucking hot outside still.”

Dana bit back a chuckle at the greeting. She was inclined to agree, the heat in London was nothing like some of the summers she’d endured over the years in America but everything was still hot and sticky.

“I thought I’d go for a shower and then I’ll make dinner? Anything you want particularly?”

Dana smiled as Stella hovered in the doorway, waiting for an answer before she went for a shower. With a shake of her head and instructions to have a think, she watched the blonde head for the stairs.

When she returned, her hair was damp and she was dressed in a pair of thin leggings and a white tank top. She looked refreshed and Dana couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “You look good.”

Stella smiled back at her. “So do you. What do you want for dinner?”

The blonde rolled her eyes when Dana once again declared that she’d eat whatever was made, but she said nothing and got to work in the kitchen. Any other summer she’d have had a salad and a glass of wine in the garden. This year, with her increased body temperature and pregnancy, she was content to stay inside and dig into a cheeseburger with a salad on the side and a large glass of ice cold water.

Dana joined her just as she finished plating up the food and she placed it on the island. They ate in near silence, neither speaking until most of their food was gone.

“My mom sends her regards.”

Stella looked up in surprise. “You spoke to her again?”

Dana nodded. “She called earlier. We had a good long talk actually. It was productive. Seems like she’s done a lot of thinking since the last time we spoke. She apologised properly for her reaction and subsequent silence. She said once the baby is born to let her know when it’s okay for her to come visit.”

Stella smiled happily. “That’s really good, Dana.”

She was relieved. Dana deserved to have as many people as possible in her corner at all times. Losing her relationship with her mother over her relationship with Stella was not something anybody wanted.

They moved to the back garden when they noticed that the small area was now in the shade. As they sat down, Dana pulled Stella’s feet into her lap and began working on the aching muscles.

Stella relaxed back in her seat, her water in one hand while the other came to rest on her bump. The baby was still active despite the lack of space and Stella found herself wondering what her daughter would look like. Would she be blonde or would she have dark hair? Would her eyes be blue or brown as they developed? Would she have her mother’s facial structure or her father’s? How tall would she be when she was older?

“You okay?” When Stella turned to look at her girlfriend, Dana’s face was full of concern. “You zoned out and started rubbing the bottom of your belly. I got worried.”

“Sorry.” Stella breathed, realising that Dana was likely trying not to panic while her doctor’s mind ran wild. “I was just thinking about what she’ll look like. I’m okay, I didn’t mean to worry you, love.”

Dana let out a soft relieved laugh. She thought for a moment, her eyes scanning Stella’s features. “I think she’ll look like you. I think she’ll be really tiny, with gorgeous blue eyes and really soft blonde hair. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure. If her father is who I’m sure it is, then there’s a strong chance his features could be more prominent than mine. Isn’t it some kind of fact that first babies are supposed to look like their fathers?”

“I just find it impossible to picture your daughter being anything but a miniature version of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone for their comments on the last few chapters! I'm slowly working my way through getting back to everyone! Let me know what you think of this one :D


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can't believe this has reached thirty chapters! Thank you so much to everyone for reading & commenting and the kudos! There are still five chapters to come after this one so it's not over just yet :D

Dana smiled to herself when she saw Stella had nodded off in the passenger seat. They’d had a full day already and it was barely three PM.

They’d spent the morning strolling through yet more aisles of baby essentials. Stella had managed to pick out a travel system that would adapt to meet the baby’s needs as she grew, so that was the car seat and pram ticked off the list, other things included a baby bath, a Moses basket and stand, and a swing seat that would rock the baby for them, complete with a mobile that played lullabies.

After shopping Stella had insisted that she still wanted to go for a swim and Dana had indulged her, joining her in the pool for once. They’d picked up a quick lunch on the way home and despite the short drive, Dana wasn’t surprised to see that Stella had managed to fall asleep.

When she pulled up outside their house she hesitated for a moment before waking the blonde. She was glad when Stella didn’t fight the suggestion of taking herself to bed for a nap and busied herself with bringing their purchases in from the car.

It was a couple of hours later when Stella reappeared downstairs to find Dana on the couch scribbling on a notepad. She stopped dead in the doorway when she noticed the newly assembled baby items spread throughout the room. The swing was adjacent to the couch, the pram parked in the space between the living room and the kitchen with the car seat and base on the floor beside it. The basket and the stand were waiting to go upstairs and the bath had disappeared, likely into a bathroom.

“Hey. Thank you for doing this.”

Dana looked up in surprise when Stella sat down next to her, she hadn’t heard the blonde approach. “Hey, feel better?”

Stella nodded. “What are you working on?”

Dana handed the notepad over. “Just a basic checklist for your hospital bag. I was thinking it might be good to have it packed sooner than later.”

The blonde agreed, scanning the list. It was extensive despite the fact that Dana had just called it basic. She’d hate to see what a more detailed list would look like. “Am I really going to need all of this?”

“You could be in hospital for a while. So the changes of clothes, toiletries et cetera are essential, you may not need or want your phone when you’re in the thick of it but it could be a handy distraction in the earlier stages and I can guarantee you’ll want it to take a million pictures once she’s born, so you’ll need your charger too. Your birth plan is an obvious one. You don’t have to take a pillow with you but it might make you feel better to have your own.” Dana shrugged.

“And then you have all of the baby’s things, a handful of outfits for her, including the one you want to bring her home in. Diapers, a hat or two, those scratch mittens because her nails will probably be sharp. A blanket or two, and anything else you want her to have. We’ll need to make sure the car seat is fitted beforehand, so make a decision on whether you think my car or yours will be most comfortable for the drive to the hospital because you’re gonna be uncomfortable enough as it is.”

Stella just stared at the paper in front of her. “Jesus Christ.”

Dana smirked. “Welcome to motherhood, you’ll never travel lightly again.”

Before Stella could say anything else, the redhead had disappeared upstairs, declaring that she would be back in a moment. When she returned she was hiding something behind her back. “I got these that day I took you to get more clothes. When you almost had a breakdown over how tiny baby clothes were.”

Stella accepted the small giftbag and pulled the pink tissue paper from the top, peering inside. She gasped when she saw the neatly folded sleepsuits. Carefully she lifted the first from the bag and held it up. It was a dusty pink colour with a zip down the front and a matching hat with a knot in it.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you bought these.” Stella breathed as she looked over the other two sleepsuits, one grey with tiny panda faces on it and the other white with a dark pink floral design. “I don’t know which one to bring her home in, they’re all adorable.”

“You can decide when it’s time to bring her home.” Dana smiled as she produced a large, half-packed bag from the corner of the room. “I hope you don’t mind. I started with the things that I could. A bag with mini versions of your normal toiletries, a fresh toothbrush, a new phone charger, your birth plan, and a few other things.”

Stella smiled. “Thank you. And thank you for bullying me into making the plan. I know I wasn’t very cooperative.”

That was putting it lightly. For a long time, Stella had been insistent that she would just go to the hospital when her waters broke, and give birth. It would be that simple. But then Dana had begun firing questions at her that would possibly be asked by her team of doctors and nurses and Stella had realised that she had no answer for most of them. So she had followed Dana’s lead, reluctantly allowing herself to get into the gritty details of what she’d be subjected to sooner than later.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Stella said softly, her tone filling Dana with a sense of fear. “I know it’s not something we want to think about _but_ … I met with my solicitor yesterday to change my will. If something happens to me, either during birth or at any point after… I’ve named you as the baby’s guardian. Because I know you already love her like your own, she’s your daughter as much as mine and I know that you’d do anything in your power to make sure she has the best life possible. That’s all I want for her.”

Dana’s eyes filled with tears and she threw herself into Stella’s arms. The thought of losing Stella broke her heart, but the knowledge that the blonde trusted her enough to have her raise the baby filled her with love.

“Hey, Dana.” Stella said firmly, her tone kind as she pulled back to look at her girlfriend’s teary face. “Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? I just had to make sure that if it did, our baby would be taken care of. You also get the house if that matters to you but I just had to make sure.”

Dana nodded in understanding. She’d had similar thoughts when she was pregnant with William, but she hadn’t been prepared to hear it from Stella. She blew out a long breath and fanned her hot face.

Stella pressed a soft kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead before letting her to so she could wash her face. Just as Dana left, Stella’s phone rang with an incoming FaceTime. She smiled when she saw Dani’s caller ID. It had been a while since they’d spoken despite keeping in touch regularly since Stella had returned home.

“Hey! How are you?”

“Stella! Hi, I’m really good. How are you? How’s the baby?”

“We’re both good. Not long to go now, thank god. Dana’s here too, she’ll be back in a minute.”

“Oh good! I was just calling to let you know I’m coming to London soon. Well, soon-ish.” Dani announced. “I know I should have told you before, but I’ve got a girlfriend. She’s from London and her parents live there. She wants me to meet them so we’re planning a trip in early September.”

“That’s brilliant, what’s she like?”

“Her name’s Jess, she’s a paramedic and she’s lovely. I don’t know how to describe her but I think you’d like her. I was thinking if it’s not too soon after you have the baby we could have a coffee or something? I can meet the baby and you can meet Jess?”

“I’d love that.” Stella smiled genuinely.

“I’ll let you know the dates when we’ve booked the trip. Just let me know closer to the time whether or not you’ll be up for having company, I don’t want to intrude and it’s easy enough to either FaceTime or just book another trip sometime!”

“Is that Dani?” Dana asked as she returned, all signs of her previous tears gone.

Stella nodded and adjusted the angle of her phone as Dana sat down next to her and greeted the other redhead. Dani greeted her excitedly, the three of them having a quick catchup before Dani realised the time and swore, declaring that she was about to be late for her nightshift.

Stella sighed as she let the phone drop onto the cushion beside her. “Can we watch something funny tonight? I think I’ve been depressing enough for one evening.”

~X~

Dana watched in concern as Stella tensed and rubbed her stomach for the fifth time in half an hour. “Stella, are you okay?”

Stella nodded as she lowered herself onto the bed. “Fine. They’re not real contractions. They’re uncomfortable but they’re not painful or getting closer together or any stronger.”

“Maybe it’s time to start taking it a little easier? No more packed days off, swimming or shopping but not both.”

Stella sighed as her girlfriend’s suggestion but knew she was right. It didn’t take much to exhaust her and the fact that she’d taken an afternoon nap three days in a row, mixed with the Braxton Hicks contractions were surely her body’s way of telling her to slow it down a little.

She was almost chained to her desk at work. It felt like a toddler could solve the cases she was being given to review and the paperwork was outweighing the investigating by a long shot. She was grateful, it meant she was able to get home at a decent time, could fit in time for lunch and was no longer on call overnight, but the boredom was getting to her. The fact that she was still able to swim four or five times a week was a blessing and she planned on continuing to visit the pool for as long as she could.

“I can’t believe it’s only four weeks to go already.”

Stella bit back a scoff at Dana’s words. “Neither can I, though I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to be more like six.”

Dana shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think it’ll happen sooner than you think.”

Stella raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she climbed into bed, relieved when the change of position seemed to put a stop to the contractions. She knew that Dana could be right, their baby could very well make an appearance before her due date, but something told her that would be far too easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think :)


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is hella short so I'm sorry about that... and we're officially in the last 5 chapters now! I won't lie, I don't really want this to end :(

“Baby or no baby, is there anything you want to do for your birthday?”

Stella looked up from her place lying on her side with her head in Dana’s lap. Ever since her father had died she hadn’t put much thought into celebrating her birthday. Occasionally she’d go for a drink and find someone to take back to a hotel room, but generally it was no different from any other day. There was no cake or blowing out candles and Chris knew better than to bring it up. The only hint of celebration was a birthday card from her godsons.

“I don’t normally do anything. Can we just find a restaurant that does takeaway? If we don’t have a baby then maybe go for a walk after dinner once it’s cooled down a bit? If I can still move by then?”

Dana nodded with a smile. “Of course. You also get an unlimited supply of foot rubs and back massages if you want them.”

“I get those every day.” Stella chuckled.

“Then I’ll have to make them extra special for your birthday somehow.”

They both laughed, knowing there was absolutely no chance of anything sexual transpiring. Stella pouted in mock annoyance but it dissolved into another laugh within moments. She groaned as she realised she had to pee yet again and began heaving herself into an upright position, grateful for Dana’s gentle push on her shoulder to help her.

When she returned, Stella could feel Dana’s eyes on her, taking in her movements with the doctor side of her brain. “I’m fine, love.”

Dana didn’t look convinced. “Braxton Hicks contractions aren’t generally painful, Stell. Uncomfortable and unpleasant, yes, but not painful. You look like you’re in pain.”

“I’m eight and a half months pregnant, I _am_ in pain.” Stella countered as she sat back down. “But I’m not in labour. I promise I’ll tell you when things feel real.

Dana gave a small sigh but in the end let it drop. “What if she’s born on your birthday?”

“Then there will be a reason to celebrate my birthday from now on. But I don’t see it happening. I’ve said it before, I think it’ll be early September. I’m half convinced we’ll have to have her evicted and she’ll be fucking huge.”

They both laughed, despite knowing that it was a real worry of Stella’s that she was going to have to birth a large baby. The midwife and Dana had both tried to assure her that the baby was on the normal to small side but it was useless.

~X~

Stella woke on the morning of her birthday to find Dana’s side of the bed empty. She frowned in confusion, knowing that her girlfriend had specifically taken the day off work to spend together. With a sigh she got to her feet, grimacing at the pain that gripped her back as she did. She loved her daughter to the ends of the earth already but she would be glad when this was over.

A noise from the door caught her attention and she turned just in time to see Dana struggling through the door with a precariously loaded tray.

“Sit. I brought you breakfast.”

Stella watched Dana carefully set the tray on the nightstand before she turned so they were facing each other.

“I brought you a little bit of all your favourites.”

Stella smiled at the thought her girlfriend had put in and gave her a soft peck on the lips before allowing her eyes to fall on the tray. She took the hot mug of tea first, cradling it between both hands and taking a few sips to wake herself up.

Dana took her own plate from the tray and sat on the end of the bed facing Stella, watching as the blonde tried to decide what to eat first. She chuckled softly when the first mouthful of scrambled eggs drew a happy moan from her girlfriend.

They spent the rest of the day lounging around the house with the windows open, avoiding the heat of the outdoors. She surprised Stella yet again at lunchtime when she produced a tub of the blonde’s favourite ice cream and presented it to her with a spoon sticking out of the top of the tub. It hadn’t taken Stella long to polish off the entire thing, but she’d assured Dana that was nothing to do with her pregnancy, she’d done that before too.

When it came to dinner, Dana set the table with a few candles and went to pick up their food from Stella’s restaurant of choice. They ate quietly, listening to the sounds of the neighbourhood children playing in their gardens. Once they’d eaten, Dana produced a large chocolate cake with a few candles on top, assuring Stella that she wasn’t about to start singing.

It was almost an hour after dinner when Stella finally decided it was cool enough to venture outside.

They walked to the park, their fingers intertwined as they strolled along the path. Stella’s thoughts were a million miles away when she felt Dana squeeze her hand and turned her attention to the redhead.

“I asked what you were thinking?”

“The night we met.” Stella began, looking around. “I started off just walking through this park, and somehow ended up almost an hour away near your old house. I walked here all the time but I never ventured that far away. I never had a reason to. I was just thinking if I was the kind of person to believe in fate that I’d believe we were meant to meet.”

Dana smiled. “I do believe we were meant to meet. I’m just sorry you had to go through so much hurt for it to happen.”

Stella brushed it off with a smile. “Whatever the reason I ended up in a different park so far away, I’m glad it happened. I don’t know how I would have done this without you.”

Dana simply squeezed her hand again and kept walking. She had no idea what to say sometimes when the conversations turned meaningful. Sometimes the words would come without her realising and they would be perfect and fitting, and other times like tonight she drew a blank.

“Happy birthday, Stella.”

“This is the best birthday I’ve had in a very, very long time. Thank you for making it perfect.”

“I just wanted you to have a good day. It meant the world to me that you brought Mulder back over to celebrate my birthday with us. I wanted to make you as happy today as you made me that night.”

“You have.” Stella assured her. “The last time I actually celebrated my birthday was before my father died. “So thank you.”

The evening sun was still warm and Stella pulled them towards a bench to take a break, letting her free hand come to rest on her bump as they sat in quiet contentment. People watching was something that came naturally with a career in law enforcement and it was a pastime they both enjoyed.

Stella’s gaze settled on a young family with two little children and a baby. She watched the mother rock the pram back and forth as she took videos of her partner chasing the toddlers around.

“That could be us.”

It was barely audible but Dana heard it and turned to follow Stella’s gaze. She smiled when she saw the two children squealing with laughter as their father scooped up one in each arm and ran with them back to their mother.

“Give it a year or so and it will be.”

By the time they got home, Stella was once again far too hot and she helped herself to a glass of cold water while Dana went upstairs to run her a cool bath.

As she submerged herself in the clear water she let out a sigh of relief. She looked up at Dana and smiled when the redhead found a cup and poured some of the water over her hot forehead.

“It won’t be long until you’re bathing the baby almost exactly like this.” Stella smiled.

“I can’t wait.”


	32. Chapter 32

Stella fought the urge to shift her weight in her seat for what felt like the millionth time. She wasn’t even sure why she was required to attend the meeting given her imminent maternity leave but they’d insisted. And so here she was two hours in and unable to sit still. The plastic seats were wreaking havoc on her already sore back and aching pelvis.

Dana had announced the day after her birthday that it looked like the baby had dropped and she had to agree that it felt like it. She felt like she was walking with a watermelon between her thighs, causing the late pregnancy waddle she had been adamant she would avoid. 

She shifted again at a pang of pain in her lower back, rubbing the underside of her bump in attempt to soothe herself. It was only once the pain had passed that she opened her eyes and saw Chris staring at her from his place to her left, his eyes full of concern. She brushed him off with a subtle shake of her head. She was almost thirty nine weeks pregnant at the height of summer, nothing was comfortable anymore. The never-ending meeting they were currently stuck in was doing nothing to help matters.

The pains were nothing new. They’d been coming and going for the better part of a week now and while they were by no means enjoyable, she wasn’t worried just yet. They’d been coming more frequently since her birthday just two days prior and they were the cause of the attitude she seemed to be carrying everywhere with her.

It was a relief when it came to her turn to speak, meaning she was able to move to stand by the presentation board to make her points. She suppressed a small groan when she was able to stretch her muscles and felt another pang in her back, this time wrapping itself around her abdomen too.

She made it through her small section, unaware that she was almost rocking from one foot to the other the entire time, one hand holding the control for the board and the other resting on top of her stomach.

“Thank you DSI Gibson.” ACC McGregor smiled when she finished speaking. “That seems like a good place to take a break. We’ll take fifteen minutes and reconvene at eleven thirty. Lunch will be at two PM.”

Chris watched from the other side of the room as Stella placed the control back on the table before leaning both of her palms on it letting her head drop between her arms as she rocked back on her hips again.

He was glad the room was mostly empty when he reached her side just in time to hear her let out a tiny noise of pain before she blew out a long breath. “You okay?”

Stella shook her head as he put a hand on her back, noticing that her knuckles had turned white when she moved to grip the edge of the table. “I think I need to go home.”

“I’ll drive you. Let me go grab your things. Stay here.”

The drive home was tense and Chris wasn’t sure whether it was because of his own nerves or whether it was the fact that Stella was deathly silent. She’d called Dana when they had left work, worrying the redhead to no end.

The front door was open before Stella was even out of the car and Chris flashed a small smile at the nervous doctor as she rounded the car to help Stella to her feet. She thanked Chris when he brought Stella’s handbag inside and assured them that he would bring the car back at the end of the day. If they weren’t in he’d put the keys through the letterbox.

When Dana closed the front door she found Stella leaning on the kitchen counter humming quietly as she rocked from side to side. “Hey, how long has it been this bad?”

It was a moment before Stella responded. She stood straight and turned to face her girlfriend. “Only today. It’s been uncomfortable for a while as you know, but it’s only since this morning that it’s been this painful. It’s only been an hour since it got worse.”

“Worse, how?” Dana asked as she guided Stella up the stairs to change out of her work clothes.

“Until eleven it was all just in my back. But when I stood up to give them the information I had it’s like it wrapped around to my front. They’ve been irregular but _strong_ since.”

“What do you mean by irregular? How far apart were they before?”

“I’m not sure.” Stella answered as she stepped out of her trousers and sat down on the bed. She cradled her stomach as another pain gripped her. When it passed she looked up at Dana and continued. “I wasn’t keeping track because they didn’t feel like proper contractions. But after the first strong one it was only a minute or two before the next one but since then I think they’ve been about ten to fifteen minutes. You can check my phone I was timing it in the car just to see.”

Dana found Stella’s phone on the kitchen counter and hurried back upstairs. She opened the app and looked at the timing. “They’re eight to seventeen minutes apart but they’re not very long yet.”

Stella only sighed as she changed into more comfortable clothes and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “I’m not convinced it means anything but I couldn’t sit through any more of that meeting like this.”

Dana bit back a retort and smiled at her. “I’m not sure. Baby could be here sooner than you think.”

Stella rolled her eyes and took her phone before she disappeared downstairs, leaving Dana to follow her.

~X~

Dana sat quietly on the couch, leaning over Stella as she knelt on the floor, leaning her chest against the cushions. She rubbed circles in Stella’s back, countering the pressure of the contraction as the blonde groaned into the couch. She hit the stop button on the timer app when she felt Stella relax.

“Fuck me.” Stella grumbled as she pushed herself to her feet.

She’d managed to get some rest in the middle of the day but since being woken by a particularly uncomfortable contraction, they’d quickly become more intense and were coming closer and closer together.

Dana watched her girlfriend pace between the living room and kitchen before she stopped halfway, one hand on her back and the other holding the underside of her bump. She moved to the blonde’s side, taking her weight as Stella buried her face in the red hair around Dana’s neck. One of Dana’s hands wrapped itself in her girlfriend’s hair, cradling her head as she blew out a long breath, rocking slowly from side to side.

When the contraction subsided Stella moved back into the living room and lowered herself down in front of the couch once again. She was vaguely aware of Dana sitting back down on the couch again, looking between the phone in her hand and her girlfriend on the floor.

“I think-”

Before Dana could even start her sentence, Stella let out a low groan, more intense than any of her previous noises. It was accompanied by a quick gush of water and Stella gasped when she realised what had happened.

“I thought they only exploded like that on TV!”

“Nope, it happens in real life too sometimes.” Dana laughed at Stella’s surprise. She cast another glance at the phone screen before speaking up. “I think it might be a good idea to head to the hospital soon.”

“Really?” Stella looked up in disbelief.

Dana nodded. “The contractions are around five minutes apart now, almost a minute long and your waters just broke. It might be a good idea even just to call and see what they say.”

Stella nodded from her place on the floor, now on her hands and knees. “Call them.”

Dana stood from the couch and went in search of her own phone, dialling the number as she stood in the kitchen, making sure she could still see Stella in case the blonde needed anything.

Stella rocked back on her hips as she tried to breathe through a contraction stronger than the last few. She paid no attention to Dana on the phone until she felt a hand on her back.

It wasn’t until Stella relaxed a little that Dana tilted the blonde’s head up to make eyes contact. “They want me to bring you in. Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Stella allowed Dana to help her to her feet, grateful when she also helped her into a pair of trainers. She paused by the door and turned to look her girlfriend in the eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Dana told her, placing a kiss to her forehead. “Now let’s go have a baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so bearing in mind that I've never hand a baby nor watched someone have a baby, whatever happens from here on out, forgive me if it's not entirely accurate! Let me know what you think, thanks for reading :)


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to everyone whose anxiety spiked with the cliffhanger yesterday... genuinely didn't even mean it!

Dana had been beyond relieved when they arrived at the hospital. She grateful that the late hour meant the roads were a little quieter than usual. The entire drive had been spent trying not to pass her nerves onto Stella who was on her hands and knees in the back seat. The blonde had been trying not to cry as she worried whether or not she’d be able to do it, failing miserably despite Dana’s attempts to calm her.

The contractions had intensified just as they reached the hospital and for a moment Stella had considered going back on her decision to go without pain relief. Once she was settled in a room of her own with the lights dimmed a bit she relaxed a little.

Dana was standing next to the bed, holding Stella’s hand as she lay on her side, burying her face in the pillow as the pain gripped her. She let out a small grunt at the peak of the contraction and as it passed she released the pressure on Dana’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to make sure she had her attention.

“I need to push.”

Dana reached over with her free hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Stella’s ear. She pressed a soft kiss to her temple before pressing the nurses’ call button. She updated the friendly woman when she arrived and after a quick but gentle check, the room was almost immediately filled with another handful of nurses and Stella’s doctor.

Dana let Stella grip her hands as she pushed, crying out with the pain as she did. The contractions seemed to be coming back to back and she couldn’t help but wish for the blonde’s body to grant her a small break.

“I can’t do it like this.” Stella groaned after another push. “I need to move.”

“Move how?” The doctor asked softly. “Tell us what you need, honey.”

“I want to be on my knees.”

Without hesitation, Dana and one of the nurses helped Stella move to kneel on the flat mattress. It tugged at Dana’s heart when she heard the blonde whimper her name as another contraction built. She looked between the doctor and one of the nurses.

“Can I climb up there with her?”

“Of course.”

Dana didn’t need to be told twice and kicked off her shoes before climbing onto the bed so she could hold Stella. It was barely moments later that the doctor announced she could see the head.

“You’re so close, baby.” Dana whispered, holding Stella tightly as she pushed again. “I’m so proud of you.”

Stella was exhausted from the relentless contractions and let herself melt against Dana when the doctor exclaimed that the baby’s head was out.

“Not long now. You can do it, I promise.” Stella gave her girlfriend a tired smile as she took a few deep breaths, preparing to push again on the doctor’s command.

The next few moments were a blur and Stella collapsed into Dana’s arms when the sound of a newborn’s cries filled the momentary silence that fell over the room.

“It’s a girl!”

Stella let out a happy sob as she looked up into Dana’s sparkling eyes. Both women had tears streaming down their cheeks as Stella allowed a nurse to help her turn round to hold her baby.

Dana wrapped her arms around Stella and the baby as the blonde lay back against her girlfriend’s chest, holding the baby against her own.

Stella stared at her daughter with teary eyes, oblivious to the doctors and nurses surrounding them. It was almost impossible to believe that the baby was hers. She brought one hand away from her tiny daughter and intertwined her fingers with Dana’s, unable to look way from the baby.

“You did it.”

Dana’s voice brought with it a tidal wave of tears and Stella couldn’t help but laugh at herself as she wiped her eyes.

“She’s beautiful. She looks just like you.”

She had to admit that Dana was right. The baby was tiny and the hair she had didn’t seem to be too dark so far. She couldn’t help hoping that the big blue eyes staring back at her would stay blue as she got older.

“Congratulations, you two.” It was the doctor who was smiling back at them while a nurse bustled around, covering the baby’s tiny head with a hat and draping a blanket over her and Stella. “Who wants to cut the cord?”

“Dana…” Stella craned her neck to look at the redhead, causing her jaw to drop in surprise. “Do it.”

Dana made sure Stella was sitting up on her own before she climbed down from the bed and allowed the doctor to show her where to cut.

~X~

Stella couldn’t stop staring at the baby in the small plastic cot beside her bed. It was early in the morning and she was exhausted, but she still hadn’t quite managed to wrap her head around the fact that the baby was actually here. She was a mother. Her eyes drifted to Dana who was curled up asleep on the chair on the other side of the cot, a blue hospital blanket draped over her by a kind nurse.

Dana stirred at the sound of a nurse poking her head into the room.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to wake you both. We noticed you didn’t have a breakfast card filled out due to your late arrival, I can get you both some tea and toast if you’d like?”

Stella nodded eagerly. The nurses had brought her the same meal not long after she’d given birth and it had been heavenly. Now she was starving again and was hoping that it would be just as good this time around.

“What time is it?” Dana asked as she took her hair down only to stuff it straight back into another ponytail.

Stella rooted around for her phone. “Just after eight. I’m surprised she didn’t wake you, she has quite the set of lungs on her.”

Dana smiled and moved to join Stella on the bed, allowing the blonde to lean against her again. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Stella said sincerely before placing a kiss on her lips.

A comfortable silence fell over them again as they both just stared at their daughter. It was broken when the nurse appeared with a tray holding two disposable cups of tea and two plates of toast. They thanked her and beamed with pride when she commented on how beautiful the baby was.

It was barely ten minutes after their breakfast that Dana’s phone vibrated with an incoming message.

“It’s from Chris. He says he hopes you’re doing okay and to let him know how you are when you can. He brought the car back this morning and put the keys through the door.”

Stella smiled and grabbed her own phone, finding Chris’ contact information and pressing the FaceTime button. As soon as he answered she held a finger to her lips to keep him quiet.

“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. How’s it going?”

“Dana just got your message.” Stella explained. “I thought you might want to meet your goddaughter.”

Chris nodded in response and Stella thanked Dana as when she placed the baby in her free arm. He smiled brightly when Stella adjusted the camera angle so that he could see both her and the baby.

“Meet your goddaughter. April Danielle Gibson. Born at one forty five this morning weighing six pounds five ounces.” Stella beamed.

“She’s gorgeous, Stella. She’s so tiny! I love her name.”

“I know, I can’t believe how small she is! The sleepsuits we brought are all too big.”

“Congratulations. Let me know when I can stop by and meet her sometime in the next few weeks. I’ll give you guys time to settle first.”

“Thank you for everything Chris.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Chris brushed it off. “Where’s Dana disappeared to?”

“She’s –” Stella looked around, surprised when Dana was nowhere to be seen. “Actually I have no idea. I’ll let her know you said hi.”

She let the phone drop onto the bed and returned her gaze to her daughter. She brought the baby’s head to her lips and placed a soft kiss against her hat. She knew she should make the most of the time when April was sleeping but for now, she was content just to watch her.

~X~

Dana couldn’t stop the tears that stung her eyes as she watched Stella show April around their home. Becoming a mother had brought a side to the blonde she never knew existed and it made her heart feel like it would burst. She’d always known Stella was a loving person, but the sheer volume of love she held for April was mind blowing.

They made it upstairs slowly, taking it at Stella’s pace until they reached the bed. Dana carefully took the baby in her own arms, allowing Stella to crawl under the covers, visibly relieved to no longer be supporting her own weight. Keeping a hold of April, Dana sat on top of the covers on her own side of the bed as she turned to find Stella taking pictures.

“You must have taken a thousand pictures already.” Dana laughed softly, the only response she got was a light-hearted shrug. “Oh, I meant to say. My mom passes on her best. She said congratulations and she loves the name.”

“Give her my thanks.” Stella smiled, glad that Maggie and Dana were talking even more now.

“I will. But for now. Try to get some sleep. This little lady and I will be just fine. She was fed when we got home, I can manage everything else while you have a nap.”

For the first time since April’s birth, Stella didn’t put up a fight. Instead she simply shuffled down under the covers. Dana waited until she was comfortable before she made her way to the stairs to ensure that any noise from April wouldn’t wake her mother.

Settled on the couch with April against her chest, Dana felt the tears stinging her eyes again. It had been so long since she’d even held a baby never mind looked after one. She remembered the things that William liked, the things he hated and wondered how different April would be. So far she’d discovered that where her son liked to be cradled in her arms, April already seemed to prefer being held against a shoulder.

“You’re so perfect, little one.” Dana whispered. “I love you and your mama so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I've never had nor watched someone have a baby so I'm taking artistic license with all of this :) Let me know your thoughts, good bad or ugly!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we're on the second to last chapter! Thank you so much for everyone's kind comments, as soon as I've posted this I'm gonna go through them and try to reply to everyone!

Stella took a deep breath of the evening air and smiled. It was the first time she’d been out of the house since April was born. It had taken a little bit of convincing but Dana had managed to persuade her into a walk through the park after dinner. April was sleeping soundly in the pram for now and both she and Dana were quiet, lost in their own thoughts as they wandered down the path.

“Excuse me?”

Both Stella and Dana jumped at the small voice and turned to see a little girl of around six staring up at them.

“Hi.” Dana smiled back, wondering what the little girl wanted.

“My name is Holly. Can I look at your baby?”

Before either of them could answer, a heavily pregnant woman appeared from behind them, admonishing the girl for running so far ahead. She turned to look at Stella and Dana with an apology written all over her face.

“I’m so sorry. She’s obsessed with babies!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Stella smiled softly, rocking the pram to keep her baby asleep. “Of course you can see the baby if it’s okay with your mum.”

Holly’s mother sighed. “You know I can’t lift you up, honey.”

“I don’t mind.” Dana offered, turning to Holly’s mum. “If it’s okay with you?”

The mother nodded and introduced herself. “I’m Ellen. Thank you for being so kind to her.”

“Of course. I’m Stella, this is Dana.” Stella replied as Holly squealed quietly in excitement and asked what the baby was called. “Her name is April. She’s only ten days old.”

The two women smiled as Holly fawned over their daughter before wriggling to be put down. Once her feet was back on the ground, she took a moment to regard the strangers in front of her. “Are you both her mummy? My friend has two mummies.”

Ellen’s face turned scarlet red in embarrassment but before she could begin to stutter an apology, Dana was smiling at Holly and answering the question.

“Is she your only baby?”

Stella nodded. “For now.”

Dana’s head whipped around at the answer, barely registering Ellen and Holly’s departure as she stared at her girlfriend. “For now?”

Stella shrugged. “She could be our only baby forever if that’s what we’re happy with. But it’s only been ten days, we have plenty of time to have that conversation in the future.”

Dana nodded, still unable to process the thought that Stella was already possibly thinking about at least one more child. The past ten days had been difficult. They were both exhausted, Stella was still aching and recovering from birth and battling the sleep deprivation that came with exclusively breastfeeding. But they had also been some of the best days of Dana’s life, only paralleled by the months she was raising William. She had held Stella only two nights previously while the blonde had cried over how happy she was and how much she loved April.

April’s small cries broke both of them from their thoughts and Dana took over pushing the pram while Stella cradled the tiny baby against her shoulder for the remainder of the walk home.

Once in the house, Stella disappeared upstairs to feed April while Dana settled on the couch with her book. It was barely ten minutes later when she heard the sound of Stella’s quiet sobs coming from upstairs.

She knew that despite how happy Stella was, she’d been struggling with breastfeeding. April was fussy and getting her to latch on had been a growing struggle. Worried that the blonde had reached her breaking point, Dana abandoned the book and hurried upstairs.

When she pushed the door open she was met with the sight of Stella sitting cross-legged on the bed, April lying in front of her contentedly staring up at her mother.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Stella told her with a small smile. “You’re going to think this is ridiculous if I tell you.”

“I would never.” Dana assured her as she sat down and placed a hand on her girlfriend’s back.

“She sneezed.” Stella watched for a moment as Dana tried to work out how the sneeze was related to the crying. “Baby sneezes are so fucking cute. It isn’t cute when adults or older children sneeze. So why is it cute when babies do it?”

Dana bit back a laugh and ran a hand through Stella’s straight hair. “They are so cute.”

Before she could lose the grip she had on her composure and laugh at her sobbing girlfriend, Dana was saved by the sound of her phone ringing from downstairs. Knowing it was likely her mother or Mulder she made her way quickly to the stairs after making sure Stella would in fact still be okay on her own. She would be – providing April didn’t sneeze again.

She got to the phone just in time to hit the answer button. “Hello?”

 _“Scully, long time no speak.”_ Mulder’s voice met her ears and she smiled.

“Hey, how are you?”

_“I’m good. How are you?”_

“Exhausted but it’s good. The baby is perfect.” Dana smiled.

_“How’s Stella doing?”_

Dana was unable to hold back the small laugh that came when she thought of the cause of Stella’s most recent tears. “Uh, Stella’s fine. She’s okay. I never told you this but she’d currently upstairs crying over how cute baby sneezes are.” Dana admitted with a smile. “I’m not sure whether it’s the sleep deprivation or the hormones, but that’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.”

 _“Well baby sneezes are damn cute.”_ Mulder laughed.

“Never tell her I told you. She’ll kill me.”

“Why am I killing you?” Stella asked as she entered the room and placed April in the swing across from the couch, relieved when she stayed asleep.

Dana bit her lip and put Mulder on speakerphone. “ _Baby sneezes are cute, huh?”_

Stella shot an insincere glare at her girlfriend as Mulder apologised and asked how she was. She gave him the semi honest answer, leaving out the details he didn’t want or need to know.

“So when’s the next one?”

Stella and Dana looked at each other. Mulder was the fourth person in ten days to ask when they were having another baby.

“Mulder, love, how about we let my body recover from this one before we start planning more? It’s been less than a fortnight!”

 _“That’s not a ‘never’!”_ Mulder exclaimed.

Stella rolled her eyes. “If you want me to go into graphic detail about what’s happening to certain parts of me right now and how painful it is, in order to explain why I’m not birthing another child any time in the next two years, I will.”

They could almost see the grimace on Mulder’s face as he cringed through the phone, exaggerating his shiver as he assured the blonde that there was no need, he’d take her first answer and accept it.

Stella disappeared to take a shower while Dana finished her phone call and by the time they were both done, April was awake and watching the mobile above her head spin.

Stella sighed as she sat down and pulled Dana into her. “Is this a thing now? Is every person we talk to going to ask when we’re having more children?”

Dana shrugged. “I have no idea. It never happened when I had William but that was different. He was my miracle baby and his father was gone. I think people were too scared to ask. Honestly, I think it’s a bit of an invasion of privacy. Even from people like Mulder when he’s teasing and it’s not serious. You never know what someone went through just to have one baby.”

Stella nodded in agreement. She didn’t mind the question but it was getting tedious feeling like people were already expecting more form her while she was still healing from giving birth to April. It was almost overwhelming at times despite the knowledge that nobody except Dana was really expecting anything from her, and there was no pressure from her to do anything but get through each day.

“Don’t think about it now. Like you said earlier, we have plenty time. Let’s just get through the newborn stage, maybe wait until she’ll sleep through the night and then we can talk about it.”

Stella smiled. “It’s funny, I never thought I wanted one baby. And yet here I am with a newborn and sometimes I find myself thinking about what it would be like to have more... If I’m honest, I really don’t believe I would be quite so open to the idea if I was doing this alone. I don’t think I’d be coping as well as I am if I was going this alone. You do more for me than you could ever know and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

Dana’s heart swelled and she jumped up as she remembered something. She disappeared upstairs before returning with a small giftbag dangling from one hand.

Stella was hit with an intense feeling of déjà vu as Dana sat back down and handed the bag over.

“I know it seems like I’ve been gifting you a lot of things for the last little while. But you just gave me a baby and I actually got this for your birthday. I just wanted to be sure that you named her April before I gave it to you, just in case.”

Stella gasped as she produced a Tiffany & co box and untied the white ribbon carefully. Inside the box sat a dainty chain with a small round pendant hanging from it, a cursive ‘A’ engraved on the pendant.

“Oh my god.” Stella’s voice was barely a whisper as she looked between the necklace and Dana. “This is beautiful, thank you.”

“I know it’s gonna be a while before you go back to work yet, but I know you’ll miss her when you do. So I wanted to get you something that meant she’s always with you.”

Stella sat up on her knees and pulled Dana into a tight hug before placing a hot kiss on her lips. “I don’t deserve you.”

“I love you, too.” Dana smirked before she pulled Stella in for another kiss.

“As much as I wish we could go further,” Stella murmured as she pulled back. “this really isn’t the time. But I promise, soon.”

“I don’t care how long it takes so long as you’re ready. No pressure.”

Stella said nothing as she passed the necklace to Dana, allowing her to loop the delicate chain around her neck and fasten it under her hair. It felt odd to wear a necklace. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even had one on, but she knew immediately that she didn’t want to take this one off.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, the last chapter :( Thank you so much to everyone for their comments/kudos & the response this got on twitter, it's honestly insane to me! I'm really not a confident writer so it really does mean so much to me!

Stella cursed loudly as she heard the doorbell rang just as she discovered that April’s nappy had blown out. The baby had been crying all morning, only settling when she was being held and it had left Stella unable to shower or put herself together for her guests. She rushed to the door and despite April’s building fussiness, she smiled brightly as the two women in front of her.

“Come on in.”

Dani and her girlfriend stepped inside just as April graduated to a real cry and Stella only sighed.

“It’s really good to see you both, please make yourselves at home. You can raid the kitchen if you want. I have to get her cleaned up; I won’t be long.” Stella said apologetically as she rocked from side to side.

“Don’t worry, babies work on their own schedule.” Jess told her with a smile.

“Is there anything we can do?” Dani asked.

Stella shook her head quickly. “Not right now but once she’s clean you can have a cuddle while I make myself presentable.”

With that she was gone, leaving Dani to find her way around the kitchen and living room.

She made quick work of filling the baby bath with warm water, stripping her daughter of the soiled clothes and washing her own hands. April cried at the cold of the baby wipes but calmed when she was placed in the warm water.

Stella cursed again when her phone rang in the bedroom but resigned herself to ignoring it as she gently cleaned April’s squirming body.

“That’s better, isn’t it, darling?” Stella cooed as she wrapped April in a fluffy towel with a hood. She grabbed a clean sleepsuit and her phone, holding April against her shoulder as she called Dana back.

~X~

Dani looked up as Stella reappeared in the living room, her baby against one shoulder, her hands full with clothes and a nappy and her phone wedged between her ear and the other shoulder.

“Hey, sorry I missed your call. We were both covered in baby shit.” Stella explained when Dana answered the phone. She smiled at Dana’s reply as she sat down in front of the baby changing mat on the floor. “Dani and Jess got here just as it happened, can I call you back later? Love you too.”

When she hung up the phone, Stella blew out a sigh turned to look at her guests. “I’m so sorry.”

The two women brushed it off immediately and Dani pointed to a steaming mug in the corner she’d made for Stella. They watched as she dressed April in a white sleepsuit with ducks on it before she carefully scooped the baby up, supporting her head and neck and her bottom and held her out.

“Who wants her first?”

“Jess is better with babies.” Dani said, nodding at her girlfriend. “She’s got a million brothers and sisters.”

Jess rolled her eyes and laughed, accepting the tiny baby into her arms and taking in her features. “She looks just like you.”

Stella smiled. That was what everyone said. It always made her smile when she thought of her daughter being a miniature version of herself. She let out a sigh as she sank into one of the armchairs and quickly drank her tea.

“Go have a shower or something if you want. She’ll be okay with us if you’re okay to leave her.” Dani assured Stella, knowing that managing with a fussy newborn on your own all day left little time for self-care.

Stella nodded gratefully and gave them a quick rundown of where everything was before she moved upstairs.

The shower was heavenly and she tried not to linger too much. When she got out, she towel dried her hair and ran a brush through it before pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

When she returned to the living room, April was sleeping soundly in Dani’s arms and a fresh cup of tea was awaiting her. She raised an eyebrow at the sight. “You two can stay. Two cups of tea, I get to shower _and_ she’s sleeping? When can you move in.”

Dani and Jess laughed as Stella sat down on the armchair nearest them.

“It’s a little late for introductions, but Stella this is my girlfriend Jess. Jess, this is Stella, she was my boss for a while last year.” Dani explained, unsure of how else to word it. They hadn’t really fitted the definition of friends at the time. They’d been close for colleagues, but not quite friends yet, not for most of the case anyway.

“It’s good to finally meet you. Dani’s told me a lot about you.” Stella smiled at the younger woman.

“You too. She’s been very excited to come and meet the baby.” Jess admitted. “How old is she now? Oh and what’s her name?”

“She’s three weeks exactly.” Stella answered, her eyes falling on Dani before continuing. “Her name is April Danielle Gibson.”

Dani’s eyes shot up to look at Stella, unsure of what to say when she saw the confirmation in her friend’s face.

“I liked the name. And I thought it was a nice way to thank you for everything you did for me in Belfast. It meant a lot to me.”

Dani beamed as she looked down at the baby in her arms. “ _That_ means a lot to me.”

The quiet was broken by the noises of April waking up slowly, her mouth rooting around Dani’s chest.

“You guys don’t mind if I feed her?” She was immediately met with two incredulous looks across the room as she took April back to the couch.

Once April was feeding happily, it was Dani that spoke up again, asking about work and how things worked at the Met. Stella raised an eyebrow at the nature of the questions but simply gave her answers, asking how Dani’s own career was going.

“It’s okay, thankfully not as exciting as it was nine months ago.” Dani joked. “Tom Anderson and Gail McNally are a thing now. They’ve been together for a few months.”

Stella hummed in surprise but as she thought it over she realised it made sense. “They seem like they’d make a good couple.”

It was true. While Anderson infuriated her to no end with his possessiveness, she could see how the younger brunette, much closer to his age and likely looking for similar things to him, would be a good match.”

“They seem to be quite happy. He’s clingy but she’s always liked that kind of thing.” Dani shrugged.

It took Stella a minute to remember that Dani and Gail had grown up as neighbours and despite a small age gap, they’d managed to remain friends. The conversation moved to Jess and her work, leading into how she and Dani met before landing on Jess’ family in London.

By the time April woke up again Stella was at the door hugging Jess and Dani goodbye.

“It was really, really good to see you, Stella.” Dani told her as she gave her a tight hug.

“You, too. Keep in touch. Hopefully next time we see each other I won’t be in quite such a state.” Stella chuckled, sighing when she heard April start to cry. “Okay, safe travels home, let me know when your flight lands.”

Dani and Jess agreed before heading back to the car they’d hired for the week. Stella watched until they were in the car before going to retrieve her daughter.

~X~

Dana smiled happily when she returned home to find Stella asleep on the couch and April asleep in her swing. It had only been a few hours since they’d spoken on the phone after Dani and Jess’ departure but leaving her girlfriend and newborn for long twelve hours shifts was starting to get to her and it had only been a week. She knew Stella was more than capable, but she hated leaving just as they woke up only to return when both mother and baby were exhausted.

Stella stirred at the sound of Dana’s soft footsteps and the redhead paused, waiting to see if Stella would wake up or roll over and go back to sleep.

“When did you get home?” Stella mumbled as she pushed herself to sit up.

“Just now. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Dana replied softly. “I’m gonna go change, I’ll be back in a minute.”

When she returned to the living room, she found Stella exactly where she left her. “How was your day?”

Stella smiled. “It was good. I t was really good to see Dani again. And Jess is lovely. They made me not one but two cups of tea and watched April so I could shower.”

“Can they stay?” Dana joked.

“That’s what I said.” Stella laughed. “It was really helpful. She was really fussy all morning and just wanted to be held. When they arrived I was still in my pyjamas and felt disgusting, she was crying because she’d shit everywhere. And they just got comfortable while I cleaned her up and then took care of her so I could take care of me.”

Dana sighed, wishing she could be around to help her girlfriend. “I’m glad. I’m sorry I couldn’t take more time off work.”

Stella shook her head. She missed Dana being around and she was still adjusting to being left alone all day with the baby but she was grateful for everything Dana did when she was at home.

“I’ve been thinking.” Dana began as she settled against the arm of the couch and pulled Stella into her side. “I might start looking for another job. Something with more regular hours, less nightshifts. I want to be able to spend more time with you two. What do you think?”

Stella looked up at her girlfriend. “I think you should do what makes you happy.”

Dana smiled down at her. “Spending time with you and April makes me happy.”

They stayed curled up on the couch together until Stella’s stomach rumbled, prompting Dana to get up and head for the kitchen. As she rummaged around for something quick and easy to cook, Dana couldn’t help but smile at the thought of being able to spend her evenings and weekends at home with Stella and their daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely the last chapter of this story however I've got a few related oneshots to post at some point as well as a LONG list of ideas, so it's not 100% over yet :D Thank you again to everyone for their kindness >3

**Author's Note:**

> If you got this far, thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought, there's more to add if anyone wants it :D


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